Cosmin Olaroiu tops UAE football charts with appointment that has been long time coming

Star coach at domestic level will have a short turnaround from Sharjah to national team duties ahead of World Cup qualifying finale

New UAE coach Cosmin Olaroiu has been tasked with rescuing the national team's World Cup qualification campaign. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

After Lady Gaga made a brief and unlikely cameo appearance in the UAE football news cycle, normal service has been resumed.

Just as he has been for so much of the past 14 years since he first arrived at Al Ain, Cosmin Olaroiu is back on top of the news agenda after being named manager of the national team.

Given the position the team finds itself in, the appointment feels like a no-brainer. The 55-year-old Romanian has been by far the most decorated club coach in the country – with three different teams – in his 11 seasons in the UAE Pro League.

Across spells at Al Ain, Shabab Al Ahli and – for a few weeks more, yet – Sharjah, he has won 14 major trophies.

There is still the possibility of at least two more with Sharjah this season. They play Shabab Al Ahli – their Pro League title rivals – in the President’s Cup final on Friday, May 9, then have the AFC Champions League Two decider in Singapore nine days later.

Success in the latter, against Lion City Sailors, would be the perfect way for him to sign off from club duty. A continental trophy is all that is missing from his sparkling CV.

There are a mere 18 days between that cup final and his first official engagement in his new job. The UAE face Uzbekistan at home in World Cup qualifying on June 5. To say it is a massive fixture understates the point.

Once the UAE Football Association decided to cut their losses and dismiss Paulo Bento last month, it was clear they needed an arch motivator who could act fast to revive the chances of direct qualification for the World Cup.

With that as the remit, it stands to reason Olaroiu would be their No 1 choice.

The fact he was the new manager-in-waiting had been trailed for some weeks. The timing of the announcement, though, was intriguing.

Olaroiu was quizzed on the matter ahead of Sharjah’s Champions League Two semi-final first leg against Al Taawoun. He straight batted it, saying nothing was either signed or finalised.

Grace was clearly being given for Sharjah to take care of their own business. They duly did, a week later, clinching a thrilling 2-1 aggregate win – both goals coming deep into stoppage time at the end of the second leg.

That put them into the final against Lion City. While the ecstasy of the late semi-final win was still washing over them, Sharjah then walked into a dispute over the venue for the final.

The regulations for the second-tier AFC club competition stipulate that the hosting rights for the final will alternate between Asia’s west and east regions annually. This year, it is the east’s turn, meaning the game should be played in Singapore.

However, the 55,000-seater National Stadium is booked for a Lady Gaga concert that day instead. Sharjah have pointed out that the other options available – a 7,000-capacity ground with artificial grass, and a 6,000-capacity alternative – are not befitting of a fixture of this scale.

Shortly after Lion City had released a statement of their own on Saturday, saying “this final must be played in Singapore”, the UAE FA superseded the newsline by announcing Olaroiu.

It seemed the smart move. Letting the inevitable go unacknowledged and linger until the end of the season would only have been a distraction for both the manager and his team.

The Sharjah players might well have known he was off, anyway, as it had seemed a foregone conclusion. Now they will be able to play for the ideal parting gifts, meaning more trophies to see him off with.

Clearly, a number will be with him in his new role, too. There were five Sharjah players in the national team squad for the fixtures against Iran and North Korea last month.

One of those, Caio Lucas, debuted back then, and will likely have a key role to play under the new coach.

“Speaking about the coach is very simple,” Lucas said after Sharjah’s thrilling win over Taawoun. “He played football, and he knows so much about football.

“He is a really good guy who knows how to speak to players. He knows how to treat the players, and we respect him a lot because we know he has won everything.”

It was in aftermath of that win over Taawoun where Olaroiu revealed the USPs which will be so vital for the UAE’s games against Uzbekistan and then Kyrgyzstan in June.

In the context of the World Cup qualification campaign, it is like the UAE are 1-0 down in stoppage time.

The top two sides in the group qualify for the World Cup automatically. With two matches left, the UAE are four points behind second placed Uzbekistan.

If they can beat the Uzbeks, then better their result on the final day – when UAE face Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan will be up against Qatar – then a first appearance at a World Cup since 1990 will be theirs.

Clearly, they are outsiders at this stage. But in the utterance he made after the win over Taawoun, Olaroiu showed that there is always a puncher’s chance for those who keep believing.

“The motivation comes from inside them, and shows itself in the times that you need it,” Olaroiu said of the never-say-die attitude which is a trait of all his teams.

“These guys [the Sharjah players], they have it. Always, we try to make them understand the power they have inside them to go over any obstacle in life. It is not just about football; it is about everything in life.

“Life is a challenge, and a football game is always a challenge. If you don’t believe [in yourself] you are better off not coming.”