Nascimento to coach Mozambique

Former Utrecht coach David Nascimento has been chosen as head coach for Mozambique, a top football association official said.

“Nascimento will be the next coach,” Mozambican Football Federation (FMF) Secretary-General Filipe Lucas Johane told AFP on Thursday.

“This is the right person to coach the team as advised by the Dutch Football Association (DFA),” he said. Mozambique has been working closely with the DFA over the past four years.

Nascimento, 44, a naturalised Portuguese of Cape Verdian descent, was assistant coach at Utrecht until 2008 and was in Mozambique at the end of March to discuss his contract.

His appointment is expected to be confirmed by the southern African country’s sports ministry in the next few days, Johane said.

The UEFA pro trainer played for Portuguese clubs Vitoria de Setubal and Vitoria de Guimaraes before moving to the Netherlands in the early 1990s, where he played for RKC Waalwijk and FC Utrecht.

His playing career ended at age 38 with Sparta Rotterdam.

After retiring as a player, Nascimento was assistant to Louis Van Gaal at AZ Alkamar from 2005 to 2006, and coached at FC Utrecht for two years from 2006.

He underwent a traineeship at AC Milan from 2008 to 2009, according to Radio Mocambique.

Nascimento succeeds Dutchman Mart Nooij, whose contract was not renewed when it expired in January. Mozambique performed poorly in the African Cup of Nations in Angola in the same month.