Jorvan Vieira said on Sunday he was ready to undertake the "tough challenge" at ailing Cairo giants Zamalek after becoming their new boss. Speaking during a news conference after being unveiled as Hassan Shehata's successor, the Brazilian tactician insisted he was up to the task of managing the success-starved team that has not won the Egyptian Premier League title since 2004. "Zamalek are a huge team, that's why I preferred their offer and snubbed other clubs," said Vieira, who famously steered Iraq to the 2007 Asian Cup triumph at the expense of the more fancied Saudi Arabia. "Egyptians are passionate about football, and that is a motivation for me. This factor makes my job more entertaining although I know that I have a tough mission ahead of me," he added. Vieira's first game in charge will be against TP Mazembe of the DR Congo next week in the African Champions League Group B. Zamalek will face an uphill climb if they are to stage a remarkable comeback and reach the competition's semi-final, having lost their opening three games. They lie at the bottom of the group with no points, four behind Mazembe and Ghana's Berekum Chelsea and nine adrift of leaders Ahly. "The club's board of directors asked me to watch the game from the stands but I insisted to take charge of the team against Mazembe," Vieira added. Former Zamalek midfielder Ismail Youssef has been in temporary charge of the team since former boss Shehata resigned last month following a 1-0 Champions League loss to bitter rivals Ahly, which extended their Cairo derby winless streak to 13 matches. Vieira is best known for steering war-torn Iraq to a remarkable Asian Cup triumph in 2007 following a 1-0 victory over favourites Saudi Arabia in the final. The 59-year-old, who coached several Moroccan clubs early in his career, had less successful stints with United Arab Emirates trio Ittihad Kalba, Bani Yas and Al-Sharjah during the past two years. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at@AO Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports)
