Al Suwaiq end contract with Shaker after league cancellation

Muscat, April 7 HM Cup finalists Al Suwaiq club’s board of directors ended the contract of team head coach Hakeem Shaker on Wednesday inline to the recent decision to cancel Omantel League and rest of 2020-21 season footballing competitions. The club announced the decision on its official Twitter account thanking Iraqi coach Hakeem Shaker for his efforts with the team during the past period. The Iraqi coach was the head of technical staff of Al Suwaiq for the last two months and he led the team in the final of the 2020-21 HM Cup Championship. The Northern Batinah-based team had suffered a 5-1 loss against Dhofar in the final clash on March 7. Hakeem had replaced coach Salim Sultan who left the team in February. Prior to the cancellation of Omantel League by the Oman Football Association due the rise in Covid-19 cases, the experienced Iraqi coach had guided Al Suwaiq to the fifth position in the league table with 17 points. Shaker had led the team to many accomplishments including the team’s triumph in the 2016-2017 HM Cup tournament against Dhofar. The three-time HM Cup winners had signed contracts with four players before the end of March and ahead of the season termination decision. Hakeem had equipped the team with four professional players from France, Germany, Moldova and Burkina Faso. The team’s plan was to compete and obtain one of the top positions in league order. It is expected that the board of the clubs may revise the existing contracts for the next season.   Adil al Balushi