Muscat: Oman Football Association (OFA) has terminated the contract of Erwin Koeman as head coach following the performance of the national team at the recent 2019 Gulf Cup.

Oman, the defending champions, did not advance past the group stage in Doha following a 3-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their final Group B match, ending their campaign on four points after defeating Kuwait 2-1 and drawing 0-0 with eventual champions Bahrain.

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“After discussing the recommendations of the technical committee and evaluating the participation of the national team in the 24th Gulf Cup in Qatar, the board decided to end the services Koeman as head coach of the national team,” the OFA said in a statement.

OFA, however, has retained the services of Koeman's assistants until new technical staff are hired.

Dutchman Koeman was appointed head coach in February, succeeding the late Pim Verbeek.

Next up for Oman is the continuation of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023, with the West Asian side second in Group E on 12 points from five matches, one behind Qatar.

Oman resume their campaign on March 31 against Afghanistan, to be followed by matches against Qatar (June 4) and Bangladesh (June 9).

The eight group winners and four best runners-up will advance to the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers.

Photo: AFP