Bert van Marwijk, who was dismissed following the UAE’s poor presentation at this month’s Gulf Cup when they exited at the group stage.
Jovanovic, 57, has extensive knowledge of UAE football, having twice managed Arabian Gulf League club Al Nasr.
The former APOEL coach has been out of work since he was sacked by the Dubai team for a second time last December after less than a year at the helm. He had earlier managed Al Nasr from 2013-2016 when he led the club to a President’s Cup and Arabian Gulf Cup double in 2014.
The national team’s 2022 World Cup succeeding bid is also in need of a kick-start after the Emirates undergone successive defeats to Thailand and then Vietnam after victories against Malaysia and Indonesia.
Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, chairman of the Provisional Committee of the UAE FA, said Jovanovic was chosen ahead of other candidates after the committee “studied a number of CVs for coaches to oversee training” for the national team.
“A choice was made on Ivan Jovanovic due to the distinctive characteristics of his biography that fit the criteria set. The most important of which is his ambition and full knowledge of Emirati football.
The current stage of World Cup qualifying requires the intensive efforts of all sporting bodies, establishments, clubs, media and audiences in order to provide a suitable situation for the national team to perform its tasks in the best way. This stage requires working with the attitude of one team in order to achieve positive results in regional, mainland and global forums.
