KUWAIT CITY - Mihai Stoichita has paid the price for Kuwait's failure to qualify for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup with his dismissal as coach of the national team and replacement by Fawzi Ibrahim.

The Kuwait Football Association (KFA) decided to dismiss the Romanian following Kuwait's failure to reach next year's AFC Asian Cup and the inadequate preparations for the forthcoming Gulf Cup in January.

The 51-year-old was appointed in May 2005 before Kuwait's crucial match against Uzbekistan in the final game of the second round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Despite losing to the Uzbeks, The KFA renewed their faith in Stoichita but the former Steaua Bucharest coach couldn't lead the team to next year's AFC Asian Cup as his side lost 2-1 against Bahrain in their final Group D match last month.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006 at 12:15 AM