Today's Edition
Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)
Cosmic Olaroiu has officially been named the national team manager of the UAE football team after his appointment was confirmed just before the ADIB Cup final in Al Ain, where Al Jazira beat Shabab Al Ahli to the trophy.
The Romanian has spent 10 seasons and several stints in the UAE as manager of Al Ain, Al Ahli and current club Sharjah, where he has fashioned a revival at one of the most successful sides historically in the UAE. Sharjah have reached the final of the Asian Champions League Two division in a year when Al Ain were the main division title holders, Al Wasl and Shabab Al Ahli have fallen by the wayside.
Sharjah is a testament to Olaroiu’s reputation as a manager of mettle, and his credentials could be a timely boost for the UAE’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Olaroiu’s arrival comes after the UAE Football Association parted ways with Paulo Bento with only two matches left in the Asian qualifying round, where the top two teams from three groups secure an automatic berth. The UAE are third in Group A, behind Uzbekistan in second and the already-qualified Iran.
They face Uzbekistan at home on June 5 in a crucial clash to stay in the hunt. The UAE’s final fixture is away to Kyrgyzstan five days away on June 10. Olaroiu inherits a team with more naturalised players in the mix and available for selection.
According to a report in Telecom Asia Sport, Olaroiu should be able to complete the job for the season at Sharjah while still initiating his plan for the national team. The UAE squad consists five players from Sharjah.
Crunching the numbers, should UAE win both their games and Uzbekistan draw against Qatar in their final encounter, the UAE would have the advantage of superior goal difference.
It could also be a good idea to keep up the scoring should it matter in case the UAE end up finishing third on the table. The three best third-placed teams go into a play-offs to take one berth in the Finals in the last round of qualifying.
Olaroiu was also a strong contender in 2016, but that didn’t materialise. In 2021, a precious watch of Olaroiu’s was stolen, but the Dubai police managed to recover it.
With the clock ticking on UAE’s hopes, it remains to be seen if the Romanian can now return favour by aiding the team’s passage to the Finals in United States, Canada and Mexico next June.
He previously coached Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal and Qatar’s Al Sadd, who won the domestic league on Saturday, and the Saudi Arabia national team at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia. Olaroiu won the Chinese Super League title in 2020 with Jiangsu Suning before taking over as Sharjah head coach in 2021.
