Saudi Arabia coach Nasser Al-Johar resigned on Saturday three days after losing 0-1 against North Korea in the World Cup qualifiers, Saudi Football Federation (SAFF) announced. In a statement issued by SAFF, Chairman Prince Sultan Bin Fahd thanked Al-Johar for his services to the Saudi team during a short meeting in Riyadh. The statement confirmed that Al-Johar's resignation came without any pressure on him adding that “Al-Johar will continue with the team as a technical advisor.” The statement also said that SAFF is working out to hire another international technical team to lead the Saudi team in its remaining fixtures. Sources inside the football federation disclosed that the candidates for the post are Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro, former coach of Romania's Rapid Bucharest, and Felipe Scolari of Brazil. Nasser Al-Johar, 65, has spent with the Saudi team about nine months since he was hired in June 2008, replacing Helio Cesar dos Anjos of Brazil. Al-Johar was the 39th coach for the Saudi national team since 1957. He was always under pressure from the Saudi media and fans especially after the 0-2 defeat against South Korea in Riyadh last October during their World Cup qualifier. Later on, he failed to lead his side to the Gulf Nations Cup after losing on penalties to host Oman last January. But it was the loss to North Korea that made the coach to resign when the Saudi media pressed SAFF to hire another coach due to the poor performance of the Saudi team in its recent matches. The best period for Al-Johar was in 2002 when he led the Saudi team to Gulf Cup title. He was the coach during the 2002 FIFA World Cup where Saudis were defeated 8-0 by Germany in the first game and completed a 0-3 record with no goal scored and 12 conceded when they later lost to Cameroon and Ireland. The task for the new coach for Saudi Arabia will not be easy as the team needs to win all its four remaining fixtures in the qualifiers to secure a fifth World Cup appearance. __
