Coach Jurcevic ends short-lived role with Lebanon a month before Asian Cup

Croatian coach Nikola Jurcevic has left the Lebanon national team “by mutual consent” just two months into the role, the local football federation announced on Saturday.

The move came as the team prepare for the Asian Cup which begins in Qatar next month. Lebanon will open the tournament against the host nation on Jan. 12.

The Lebanese Federation gave no reason for Jurcevic's departure but said in a statement on their website: “The decision came after discussions between members of the executive committee to secure the best technical staff available to the team before its participation in the Asian Cup finals.”

The 57-year-old coach took over in October and led the team in four matches. They lost twice in friendlies against Montenegro and the United Arab Emirates and had draws against Palestine and Bangladesh in 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Jurcevic previously coached the Azerbaijan national team and Dinamo Zagreb and was an assistant coach to Slaven Bilic at West Ham United, Besiktas and Lokomotiv Moscow, as well as working with the Croatian national team.

Lebanon will play a friendly against Saudi Arabia on Jan. 4 in Doha in preparation for the Asian Cup.