Football: Ricki Herbert axed as Maldives coach

Ricki Herbert. Photo / File

Ricki Herbert, who reached the World Cup finals heights as a player and coach with the All Whites, has been axed by the Maldives.

Herbert's stint as the Maldives coach was terminated following last week's home loss to Yemen, the Maldives' 11th defeat under Herbert.

Assistant coach Ismail Mahfooz will take charge for the second leg of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifying play-off. The return fixture is in Qatar because of security issues in Yemen.

Maldives football president Ahmed Thariq said: "For the time being it was the best solution. We had a meeting with coach Herbert and he also wanted to find a solution for this. I would like to thank Ricki Herbert for his service to the Maldives football."