By Graham Thomas
Cardiff City have appointed interim manager Omer Riza as boss on a contract until the end of the season.
The Bluebirds announced the move on Thursday prior to Riza’s 13th match in charge at home to Watford on Saturday.
Riza took over in September following the dismissal of former manager Erol Bulut, when the club were bottom of the Championship with just one point from their opening six matches.
Since then, Riza has steered the club to just above the relegation spots in 12th after taking 16 points from 12 matches.
Riza went six games unbeaten at the start of his spell, but his team have since gone five matches without a win.
That form has been good enough to convince Cardiff owner Vincent to give Riza the job – but only until the end of the current campaign.
Riza said: “I am delighted to be able to continue to lead this brilliant football club, and would like to thank Tan Sri Vincent and the Board of Directors for the opportunity.
We are pleased to confirm that Omer Riza has been appointed as the Club’s First Team Manager until the end of the 2024/25 campaign. #CityAsOne
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) December 5, 2024
“We have made real progress during the last few weeks, and I look forward to continuing our work on the training pitch over the coming months. I’m very excited for the remainder of the season, and hope that you Bluebirds fans are looking forward to joining us.”
Tan said: “We’ve clearly seen a change for the better in playing style and performance during Omer’s time as interim manager with some encouraging results.
“After careful consideration in recent weeks as to what the best decision was for the club and this squad of players, I’m very pleased to give Omer this opportunity and wish him well.
“Our targets, clearly, are to climb the Championship table and further develop a squad that has youth and ability at its core.
“I thank our supporters for their patience during this critical review period and hope we can all enjoy better times during the remainder of this season.”
