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Katanec stands down as Uzbekistan head coach due to health issues
The 61-year-old has led the White Wolves to second place in Group A of the AFC Asian qualifiers – Road to 26 but has left less than two months before Uzbekistan resume the qualifiers against Kyrgyz Republic in Tashkent on March 20.
“The head coach of the Uzbekistan national team, Srecko Katanec, decided to cancel his contract with the Uzbekistan Football Association by mutual consent due to health problems,” the UFA said in a statement on Instagram.
“The Slovenia coach noted with regret that he cannot perform his duties in a full and professional manner in his current state.”
Katanec has been in the role since August 2021 and steered the country to the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar, where they lost in a penalty shoot-out to the hosts.
He took over after previously working in the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Macedonia having also qualified his native Slovenia for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Katanec leaves with Uzbekistan closing in on their first qualification for the FIFA World Cup, the team three points behind Group A leaders the Islamic Republic of Iran and three points ahead of third-placed UAE with four matches remaining.
The top two finishers qualify automatically for the FIFA World Cup while the nations in third and fourth advance to a further round of preliminaries.