The 1994 World Cup winner, 49, finalised a one-year deal with the Zabeel Stadium club in Dubai on Wednesday, and will begin his new role from June.
Jorginho replaces Hector Cuper, the Argentine, who was dismissed last month after only four months in charge. Under Cuper, Wasl failed to turn around an already frustrating season, losing 10 of his 16 matches in charge. At present, they sit 12th in the Arabian Gulf League, although they are seven points above the relegation zone with three matches remaining.
Saleem Abdelrahman, the Emirati, had been placed in temporary control until the conclusion of the 2013/14 campaign. However, a permanent successor to Cuper has now been confirmed, with Jorginho thought to be the ideal candidate to lift Wasl from their current malaise.
“I am very happy with this challenge, in a new league for me,” he said. “I’ve never worked in the Arab world and my goal is to match the confidence of the Al Wasl management.
“The structure of club pleased me very much and I hope to be able to guide the team to have a good campaign next season. I will return to Brazil to arrange my move and just start our planning.”
Previously, Jorginho has managed a collection of clubs in Brazil, chief among those Flamengo. He last held a coaching position at Ponte Preta, where he stayed for five months before leaving in December. During his time there, he led the Sao Paulo side to the final of the Copa Sudamericana, the second most prestigious club competition in South America, which Ponte Preta lost to Lanus.
Jorginho, who as a player represented with distinction Flamengo, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich, does have experience of working outside his homeland. In 2012, he spent a year in charge of Kashima Antlers, the Japanese first division club.
He also worked as assistant to Dunga with the Brazilian national team from 2006 to 2010, a period that included the most recent World Cup, in South Africa.
Jorginho’s appointment confirms the new Wasl board, installed in January, have already shifted focus to next season, where they will hope the seven-time UAE champions improve on a fallow few seasons. The club’s highest finish in the professional era is fifth, in 2011. They lasted sealed silverware in 2007, when they clinched a league and President’s Cup double. Since then, Wasl have had 12 different managers, excluding Abdelrahman.
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