Egypt's Pyramids FC named Ante Cacic, who took Croatia to the knockout stages of Euro 2016, as their new boss, the struggling side announced on Friday. Pyramids said in a brief statement that Cacic will be in charge when they face compatriots Masry in the African Confederation Cup on Sunday. They haven't disclosed the length of the deal. The 66-year-old succeeds Frenchman Sebastien Desabre, who was shown the door following a 3-2 loss to Gouna earlier this month, which was a second successive defeat in the Egyptian Premier League as Pyramids dropped to seventh in the table. Pyramids then drew with Masry and defeated Wadi Degla under caretaker coach Abdel-Aziz Abdel-Shafi to move up to fifth with 16 points, although they remain eight points behind leaders Ahly, who still have two matches in hand. Cacic, who has vast managerial experience, helped Croatia qualify for Euro 2016 and led them to a place in the last 16, where they lost to eventual winners Portugal. He was dismissed in October 2017 following a three-match winless run in the World Cup qualifiers, with his successor Zlatko Dalic taking Croatia to their first ever final at the football's most prestigious showpiece in Russia. Cacic led more than a dozen outfits, including Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb and Slovenia's Maribor. Pyramids, which changed hands in the summer after Saudi owner Turki Al-Sheikh sold it to Emirati investor Salem Al-Shamsi, are hoping to improve on their third-place finish last season but they have stuttered in the early stages of this term. However, they have fared much better on their maiden appearance in an African competition, winning their first two games in the Confederation Cup group stage to sit joint top with Masry. Pyramids' squad appears weaker than last season's when they boasted the likes of Brazilian winger Keno and Syrian striker Omar Kharbin, Asian Footballer of the Year for 2017. Both have departed and Pyramids made some low-profile signings in the close season, which did little to plug the gaps they left. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
