Bruno Pereira’s Exit Triggers a Coaching Shake-Up in the UAE Pro League

Just hours after steering Dibba Al-Fujairah to the President's Cup quarterfinals, Portuguese coach Bruno Pereira, 43, was dismissed by the club.

The club posted a respectful farewell on X, thanking Pereira for his dedication and for guiding the team back to the ADNOC Pro League, along with several memorable moments during his tenure.

Pereira had been appointed in March 2025 to take charge of the first team, succeeding Mohammed Al-Entali, and arrived with Gulf coaching experience that the club hoped would translate into steady improvement.

He had previously coached multiple teams in the region, building a reputation for promoting youngsters and delivering competitive campaigns, but his first UAE campaign yielded a mixed bag of results.

The departure caps a season of churn at Dibba and reflects the broader volatility of the UAE Pro League, where several head coaches have been dismissed in the current term.

Coaching shake-up in the UAE Pro League

Dibba’s league form deteriorated: five losses in six matches, including defeats to Al Ain (2-3), Sharjah (1-3), Al Jazira (1-0), Al Dhafra and Khor Fakkan (both 1-2), and a single draw with Al Nasr, leaving the club near the bottom of the standings.

They were eliminated from the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup in the Round of 16 by Sharjah with a 0-3 aggregate; Pereira's fate was sealed 24 hours later.

Previously, Dibba had reached the quarterfinals of the President's Cup by beating Al Wasl on penalties (6-5) after a 2-2 draw, setting up a forthcoming test against bottom-half Al-Bataeh. Ahead of their next match, Dibba were scheduled to travel to face Al-Bataeh on Friday; a draw would leave them with a six-point margin to safety as they confront a team still struggling to score. There are indications Dibba might consider a Serbian coach for the next chapter.

What comes next for Dibba Al-Fujairah

Three coaches have already paid the price this season in the UAE top flight: Bulgarian Ivailo Petrov at Bani Yas, Moroccan Hussein Amouta at Al Jazira, and Bruno Pereira at Dibba.

Petrov was dismissed just after a 4-0 loss to Al Jazira in September, with Bani Yas publicly thanking him for his efforts while noting disappointing results that included four straight losses. The club later reappointed Romanian Dan Isaila to lead the team.

Amouta was sacked by Al Jazira after a surprising 2-3 defeat to Khurfakan, ending his short spell with the club. Al Jazira then turned to Dutch coach Marino Bouchitsch to steer the campaign, and the team sits sixth with 10 points after six rounds, six points behind the leaders.

The seventh round sees Al Jazira host Al-Bataeh at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Internally, the club has signaled it may recruit a Serbian coach to lead the project. The season’s narrative remains unsettled as more changes seem likely in the near future.

Bottom line: The UAE Pro League continues to deliver drama with every match. Pereira’s exit is a reminder that even quarterfinals glory can be overshadowed by a longer league slump, and the next chapter may be written by a coach from abroad—or by someone who knows how to navigate this league’s unpredictable climate.

Punchlines: If coaching turnovers were a sport, this league would win a dozen world titles. And remember: in football as in comedy, timing is everything—too late and the joke’s on the team, too soon and nobody’s laughing for long.