MUSCAT: Former Oman head coach Pim Verbeek, who led the Red Warriors to their second Gulf Cup title, has died aged 63 after a battle with cancer.
The Dutchman had also led Oman to a historic Asian Cup second round in January.
The Oman Football Association (OFA) has expressed its and the national team’s deepest condolences to the family of the great coach.
Verbeek ended his 20-year-old coaching career after the Asian Cup UAE 2019 tournament in February.
He had thanked Oman Football Association, national team players and Omani fans for their support during his two-year tenure.
Before coming to Oman, Verbeek was the first manager of Australia who led the Socceroos to the World Cup in 2010 through a qualifying campaign in the Asian Football Confederation.
Tributes immediately flowed for Verbeek across the Netherlands and the rest of the world.
The veteran coach had managed the South Korean team to third place in the 2007 Asian Cup, after previously serving as an assistant with the team under Guus Hiddink and Dick Advocaat at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups respectively.
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT
The 62-year-old’s crowning achievement came when he guided the Sultanate team to its second Arabian Gulf Cup title in Kuwait in 2018.
The Dutchman Verbeek had signed a two-year contract with Oman from January 2017 to January 2019.
“I want to repeat what Claude Le Roy did in 2009, winning Gulf Cup again for Oman,” Verbeek had said during his unveiling ceremony in Oman.
He did exactly that when unsung Oman stunned the favourites to clinch the Gulf Cup 2018 in Kuwait. Oman beat UAE in penalties to claim the regional honour after goalkeeper Fayez al Rushaidi emerged as their hero.
At the Asian Cup, the rival team coaches revered Verbeek.
“Oman have a great coach in Verbeek. We have full respect for the team and its coach,” said Uzbekistan head coach Hector Cuper.
Coach Hajime Moriyasu of finallists Japan also had the same opinion.
“Oman are quite good opponents for us with their coach Verbeek capable of taking the team to new level.
We are aware of that,” Moriyasu told in Abu Dhabi, ahead of their preliminary round match against Oman.
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