JAKARTA: Brazilian coaches Jorvan Vieira and Helios dos Anjos have been through the grinder these past three weeks getting their Iraqi and Saudi Arabian teams through to Sunday's Asian Cup final here.
While other higher-profile teams have crashed and burned on the Cup trail winding through Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, Iraq and the Saudis have come out on top to shoot for Asian soccer's premier title.
Vieira, an intense man often seen gesticulating wildly on the sidelines, is one game away from realising one of sport's inspirational stories with his Iraq team poised for a breakthrough triumph amid all the turmoil back home.
Compatriot dos Anjos, who has never coached outside of South America before, has one of the most unenvied jobs in world football - the coach of Saudi Arabia and with it their notoriously trigger-happy paymasters.
When dos Anjos was appointed last March his compatriot Marcos Paqueta was the 16th manager axed from the Saudi hot seat in the past 13 years.
Yet he could become a fabulously well-rewarded hero in the kingdom if the Saudis can carry off Sunday's all-Arab final, at the expense of their Gulf rivals Iraq.
"It has been a victory for Arabian football, especially for Iraq because everyone knows what is happening there," the 49-year-old dos Angos said of the final no-one predicted.
"These victories will bring happiness to the people of Iraq and of Saudi Arabia."
Yet in the macabre modern-day reality of Iraq, a cherished victory for their team will inevitably ignite more carnage on the convulsing streets.
When news reached Baghdad that Iraq had beaten South Korea on penalties in last Wednesday's semifinal in Kuala Lumpur, two car bombs ripped through the crowds celebrating the victory, killing at least 51 people and wounding more than 126.
There are fears more bloodshed will follow as die-hard fans run the risk to celebrate a potent symbol of Iraqi unity.
"This would be brilliant for Iraq (if we win). Already the people are very happy and so many people are calling me," Vieira said.
Vieira, who has coached Arab clubs and international teams for more than 20 years and his family live in Morocco, has unified Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish players to became the pride of all Iraq.
"It's true that for me it's the most difficult job in my 13 years as a coach, for many reasons both on and off the field," Vieira said.
"But it's a good experience. Life is a learning process and every day we learn something and when you stop learning, you stop teaching."
While the weight of national expectation is on Vieira and his players, dos Anjos has endured persistent criticism from Riyadh that his team have ridden their luck through the tournament rather than stamping their mark on it.
"Luck might happen in one game but not in every game and we have answered the people that have said we have been lucky," he said.
"I haven't coached Flamengo or Brazil so I'm not famous in Saudi Arabia so it's normal to have criticism but now they are starting to get to know me," he said.
Source:China Daily/AFP
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