Jordan Fans Outraged as Coach Ammouta Joins UAE Club After Asian Cup Success

Houcine Ammouta had managed to conquer the hearts of Jordanian supporters by leading the Jordanian national team to a historic achievement at the Asian Cup (final of the competition) in just nine months, but he was unable to maintain this "love". "Several clues, even before reaching the Asian Cup final, indicated that Ammouta did not wish to continue with the Jordanian national team despite the important moral and logistical support he had received. [...] Ammouta has always cited special circumstances and family constraints that forced him to return to Morocco, but in the end, he preferred the most lucrative financial offer," commented a Jordanian sports journalist and critic. This choice provoked the anger of the Jordanians.

"Houcine Ammouta is a coach who does not deserve respect and he should have shown courage and not taken refuge behind family pretexts and his wife’s health problems to explain this decision," fumes a Jordanian internet user on Facebook. He deplored the fact that the Moroccan coach "preferred money" and "headed towards an "amateur" league lacking in competitiveness." Jordanian supporters have also criticized Ammouta’s choice. If the Moroccan coach "had turned to coaching the Moroccan national team or one of the great clubs in the Moroccan championship to stay close to his family, no one would have blamed him," he points out.

According to the Jordanian media, Houcine Ammouta’s signing with Al Jazira has put the Jordanian Football Federation in an embarrassing situation. At the last press conference organized to introduce the new head coach Jamal Sellami in place of Ammouta, it had justified the termination of the contract between the Moroccan and it amicably due to family constraints and added that it was necessary to avoid talking about personal matters. Houcine Ammouta joined the Emirati Football Federation for a $3.5 million contract, thus leaving his position in Jordan, with his staff composed of his compatriots Hicham El Idrissi and the physical trainer Hassan Loudari, who had already worked with him at Wydad and with the Jordanian national team, as well as the former international assistants Rachid Rokki and Aziz Legraoui.