Hamad fired after Bahrain's poor start to Gulf Cup

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — The Bahrain Football Association says head coach Adnan Hamad has been "released" following the team's poor start to the Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain was held to a 0-0 draw by Yemen and lost 3-0 to the Saudis, putting it in danger of early elimination with one group match remaining against Qatar.

Iraqi-born Hamad, the Asian Football Confederation's 2004 coach of the year, signed with Bahrain after guiding Jordan on its 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign. His assistant, Marjan Eid, has taken over the Bahrain team in a caretaker role.

The BFA says it released Hamad after holding an urgent meeting to discuss "the team's poor performance and negative results" only two months out from the Asian Cup in Australia.