Ante Misha

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 12: Croatian coach Ante Misha is emerging as the top candidate to take over Al-Arabi, following the dismissal of fellow Croatian Marco Alves last Monday after the team’s loss to Al-Nasr in the eighth round of the Zain Premier League.

The defeat, Al-Nasr’s first in eight matches, saw Al-Arabi drop to third place with 14 points, level on goal difference with second-placed Al-Qadsia and five points behind league leaders Kuwait. Under Alves, the club also exited the Asian Challenge League at the group stage.

Following Alves’ departure, Al-Arabi’s management entered talks with local coach Nasser Al-Shatti, but negotiations stalled. Reports suggest the talks broke down over Al-Shatti’s demands for a three-year contract, full control over player selection—both local and foreign—and autonomy in team management.

Al-Shatti had previously led Al-Arabi last season but left after his contract was not renewed. He then briefly joined Al-Salmiya but resigned after the first round when FIFA barred the club from registering foreign players due to unpaid dues to former professionals.

Misha, 58, previously led Al-Arabi to the league title in the 2020-2021 season, ending a 19-year title drought, and also guided them to the Crown Prince Cup in 2021-2022. He later coached Saudi Arabia’s Al-Faisaly before joining Al-Salmiya in January 2024 for six months, replacing Mohammed Al-Musha’an. A two-year contract with Al-Salmiya followed but was mutually terminated at the end of the season.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyssah/Arab Times Staff