Before being ambushed and soaked by his triumphant Sharjah players ahead of his valedictory press conference late on Sunday night, Cosmin Olaroiu briefly let the veil slip.
The hard man former centre-back, relentlessly driven to trophy after trophy, can clearly do gentle, too. Is there no end to his talents?
Caio Lucas was in for media duties with his boss. He had a Brazil flag tied around his shoulders, the AFC Champions League Two most valuable player trophy in hand, and his two young sons in tow.
Olaroiu saw them, and the tough guy veneer melted. The younger was upset after taking a tumble. “What’s wrong – you fell over?” Olaroiu asked, tenderly. “That is what happens in football.”
As the 55-year-old coach took his seat at the top table, he lifted both children onto his lap, and kissed them each on their cheeks.
And then, straight back down to the business of assessing what went so right for Sharjah, after they signed off a season of near misses with the trophy that meant the most to them.
Before Sunday night, only one UAE club – Ain, with two Champions League titles – had ever won a major Asian trophy. Now it is two, after Sharjah took the AFC Champions League Two crown with a 2-1 win over Lion City Sailors in Singapore.
Olaroiu said it was a success all the country could share in. “When we played in the semi-final against Al Taawoun, supporters from other teams came to support us,” Olaroiu said.
“This is for everyone, not just Sharjah but for the entire Emirates. First, I have to say thank you to all of them, and then to my players, who did a fantastic job.
“They ended with a trophy and I think they deserved it. I think this is the beginning of a new era in Sharjah. From here, they have to start to build a strong team with a strong mentality.
“I spent three-and-a-half years with them. We played eight finals and won five trophies. Now, in the moment I have to leave, but for them it is the beginning.
“I hope they will not stop here. I hope they will continue, and become bigger and bigger and bigger.”
If Sharjah do go onto build a dynasty, it will be without Olaroiu. The Romanian will sign off from duty next week before taking up the reins of the UAE national team. He will be missed keenly.
“He gave me freedom,” Lucas, who will likely play a central role in Olaroiu’s UAE side, too.
“He showed me the best place to be. I learned so much with him, and it will be very hard for us without him.
“But, like he said, it starts from now. We are going to try to do our best in every game. I just want to say thanks to him for everything that he did for this club.
“I am sure, without him, Sharjah would not be here. Thank you so much.”
Olaroiu departs the club game having won it all. After 14 major honours across his time with Al Ain, Shabab Al Ahli and now Sharjah, the one conspicuous omission was a continental title.
That arrived at the last available opportunity, delivered via a Marcus Meloni goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time at the end of the final.
“My dream was to win a continental trophy,” Olaroiu said.
“I got near with Al Ahli, I was near with Steaua Bucharest. I had the biggest disappointments when we lost those games, and suffered a lot.
“I still remember those games, and when we scored [against Lion City Sailors], again those things came into my mind.
“Finally, I have done it. This is one of my dreams, and of course I have the dream to participate in the World Cup. I will do my best to do that, and I think this fantastic nation deserves it.
“The way this country has developed, the way they have grown up in sport, they deserve to participate in the World Cup. I hope we can do it.”
Next up, the UAE job. It is not exactly an easy one. The UAE have a momentous game against Uzbekistan in Abu Dhabi at the start of June.
Win that, and they would be in with a chance of direct qualification to the World Cup when they travel to Kyrgyzstan a few days later.
The coach knows expectations are high, and the challenge great. But Olaroiu has broad enough shoulders to carry the burden.
“I have a very difficult mission,” he said. "I know the big responsibility that I have.
“I have always faced these challenges in my life. It is part of my life. I am used to having these kinds of games, not sleeping nice, but preparing and analysing.
“I have to pay back the hospitality this country has given me and my family. I have learned a lot of things in this country, and have made myself a better person with a better vision of life.
“I have to pay back, which is why I accepted this mission. I will give my best for it.”
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Last-16 Europa League fixtures
Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
