The UAE’s bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup has plunged further into difficulty after two key players were thrown out of the squad and heavily fined for disciplinary issues.
Khaled Al Dhanhani and Sultan Adil have been stood down from the squad travelling to Kyrgyzstan for Tuesday’s final match of the third round of Asian qualifying.
They will also be banned from domestic football for five matches for an unspecified “violation” during the current international window.
“The disciplinary committee of the UAE Football Association has decided to suspend Sharjah player Khalid Al Dhanhani and Shabab Al Ahli player Sultan Adil for five local matches, and to impose a fine of Dh500,000 on each,” the FA said in a statement on Sunday.
“They have also been removed from the senior national team list after committing a violation inside the national team training camp on June 7.”
The issue is a major blow for Cosmin Olaroiu, the new coach, who has seen the newfound optimism over his appointment rapidly dissipate due to events over the past four days.
Morale around the national team had soared after the Romanian – who turns 56 on the day the UAE play Kyrgyzstan – had replaced Paulo Bento as national team coach.
The match against Kyrgyzstan itself is meaningless in terms of the bid for qualification. The national team’s chances of automatically qualifying for the World Cup as one of the top two sides in the group were quashed when they drew with Uzbekistan in Abu Dhabi on Thursday night.
However, Olaroiu is trying to build a side ready to compete for a place offered at a week-long, three-team round of matches in October.
His contact time with the players is limited by the international schedule, and the game in Bishkek is a chance to impress his ideas on his new charges.
Although the crime of the duo has not been disclosed by the FA, Olaroiu is likely to be furious about any breach of discipline, given the stakes.
He will feel particularly let down by Al Dhanhani. The right-back is one of the mainstays of the national team, as shown when he scored a stunning goal in the UAE’s shock win over Qatar in Doha in the first match of round three of qualifying.
Just as pertinently, Al Dhanhani was a key figure in the Sharjah side which thrived under Olaroiu’s management over recent seasons.
Amid all the triumphs they had, the full back would noticeably seek out his coach first to celebrate.
When Sharjah became just the second UAE club to win a major continental trophy, with the AFC Champions League Two final success in Singapore last month, Al Dhanhani and his young son euphorically toasted the win with Olaroiu.
Al Dhanhani limped away from that 2-1 win against Lion City Sailors with his right ankle packed with ice. And yet Olaroiu has such faith in him that he named in his first starting XI, against the Uzbeks, just three weeks later.
Adil, by contrast, did not feature against the Uzbeks, which has been typical of an injury-ravaged season.
Olaroiu's predecessor, Bento, despaired at the continued absence of Adil due to a recurring knee injury. At one point, he even speculated that the young centre-forward might never play football again.
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A dejected Lucas Pimenta of the UAE after only being able to get a 0-0 draw in the crucial World Cup qualifier against Uzbekistan at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Caio Lucas of the UAE looks on after the draw with Uzbekistan -
Uzbekistan celebrate World Cup qualification. -
Luanzinho of the UAE battles with Otabek Shukurov of Uzbekistan. -
Majed Hassan of the UAE leaps for the ball with Eldor Shomurodov of Uzbekistan. -
Ali Saleh of the UAE shoots at goal. -
UAE head coach Cosmin Olaroiu before kick off. -
The UAE line up before the game. -
UAE fans before the game. -
The band plays before the game.
That frustration was born from how highly Bento regarded Adil. The Portuguese coach had seen the Kalba-born striker thrive with a flurry of goals after giving him his debut in international football.
Adil also provided the final, glorious moment of Bento’s spell in charge, when he headed the winning goal late in stoppage time in the side’s win against North Korea in March.
Bento was sacked straight after that win, but Adil’s productive 45-minute cameo as a substitute suggested he was at least on the path back to fitness. Now, though, he is set for another absence due to indiscipline.
It is a major blow for Olaroiu, who will face questions on the subject when his side have their final training session in Bishkek on Monday evening.
Olaroiu rued the fact that his side lacked a physical presence as they chased a vital win against the Uzbeks on Thursday night.
As a strapping, target-man centre forward, Adil would have helped solved that issue, but he is now unavailable to the new coach.
