Vincenzo Alberto Annese from Italy has been hired as the new head coach of Afghanistan’s national football team.
Samir Homayouni, the team manager, told that Annese has been selected to replace the former coach, Usmon Toshev, from Uzbekistan. Homayouni stated that the Italian coach is currently in Italy but is expected to soon join the national team’s training camp in Saudi Arabia.
The team manager also mentioned that the list of national players selected for the Saudi Arabia training camp and the upcoming match against Syria, part of the qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup 2027, will be officially announced today (Tuesday).
Homayouni declined to provide details regarding the Italian coach’s contract.
This development comes shortly after the resignation of coach Usmon Toshev, whose reasons for stepping down have not been shared by the Afghan Football Federation.
Under the leadership of the new head coach, Vincenzo Alberto Annese, the Afghan national team will face Syria on June 9. Afghanistan is grouped with Myanmar, Pakistan, and Syria in the qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup 2027.