The experienced Frenchman, who saw Qatar crash to a shock 2-1 Group A defeat against Indonesia on Sunday, was told he had been fired for last weekend announcing he planned to step down as coach after the tournament.

"I was informed this morning by the Qatar Football Association (QFA) that my services as head coach for the national team of Qatar are no longer needed for the rest of the competition," Troussier told a press conference.

"I am bitterly disappointed and really surprised because I never thought I would stop at this stage of the competition after all the work I have put in for the Asian Cup."

Troussier said comments last Saturday -- where he told Arabic broadcast media that he would resign following the tournament -- had been misinterpreted. But he had later confirmed his plans to quit after Sunday's defeat.

"I respect the QFA's decision but at the same time I regret this decision because I think it has been taken because of a misinterpretation of my words which concerned only what comes after the Asian Cup," he said.

Saeed Al-Mesned will now be in charge for Qatar's second game against Bahrain on Wednesday, a game the Gulf team must win to have any realistic chance of progressing to the quarter-finals.

Though the official Qatari reason for Troussier's sacking was his declaration of his intention to quit after the tournament, his position has been the subject of intense speculation for weeks.

Tuesday's dismissal completes a miserable reversal of fortune for the 49-year-old, who had guided Japan to victory in the 2000 Asian Cup before leading them into the last 16 of the World Cup two years later.

Troussier, famously known as the 'white witchdoctor' during a successful coaching spell in Africa with Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and South Africa, was hired by Qatar on a lucrative two-year deal last July.

But it was not long before the strict disciplinarian came into conflict with Qatari players and officials.

Troussier irked players by forcing them to wear team tracksuits during training camps and tournaments, as well as imposing a strict dietary regime.

The Frenchman was known to be unhappy by the fitness levels of some members of the national squad when he took over, with at least one player reportedly registering levels of cholesterol equivalent to those of someone in their 40s.

Yet moves to modernise Qatari football off the pitch were not matched by positive results on it, with Troussier's team suffering crucial defeats to Iran and Jordan in World Cup qualifiers earlier this year.