The Croatian was appointed head coach two months ago with the task of taking Lebanon to the AFC Asian Cup™ Qatar 2023, with the West Asian side to open their Group A campaign against the host nation on January 12.
“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 LFA said in a statement on its website. They lost friendlies against Montenegro and the United Arab Emirates and had draws against Palestine and Bangladesh in Group I of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.

Lebanon, who did not advance past the group stage in their previous two appearances in the AFC Asian Cup, also have China PR and Tajikistan for company at Qatar 2023.