Shabab Al Ahli Dubai club turned to Mahdi Ali to "raise the spirits" of the players after determining Cosmin Olaroiu was no longer capable of reviving the team's fortunes.
The Emirati has been out of football since resigning as UAE manager nearly eight months ago following a 2-0 defeat to Australia in 2018 World Cup qualifying. He returns to management to find a club wallowing in fifth place and stuck in limbo following seven successive draws in the Arabian Gulf League.
It was reported early on Sunday that Olaroiu parted company with the club by mutual consent. However, a club official revealed to The National that the club's hierarchy had decided that the club decided to make a change after deeming the Romanian was no longer able to motivate the players to perform at the highest level.
“The club management discussed the reports of the technical staff following the draw against Al Dhafra in our most recent league game and decided a change was required,” the official said.
“The performances of the players were deemed to be on the decline, especially when we look at the high level of both the local and foreign players we have in the squad.
“A majority of our local players are in the national team squad and the overseas players we have are very experienced. Hence we expect them to produce better results than they have been doing in the past few games.
“One of the reasons they are not playing to their potential may be because they need someone to raise their spirits and we couldn’t think of anyone as good as Mahdi Ali to do that for us."
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The 1-1 draw against lowly Dhafra last Friday was the last straw for Olaroiu who had previously led Al Ahli to two league and two Arabian Gulf League Cup titles before the club merged with Al Shabab and Dubai in the summer.
Named AGL Coach of the Year three times, Olaroiu also led Al Ain to back-to-back league titles before his contentious move to rivals Al Ahli in 2013.
Mahdi Ali is no stranger to the Rashid Stadium. The former Ahli player began his managerial career with the club's juniors before progressing to the first team in 2009.
During his four-and-a-half years in charge of the UAE team, he led the side to the 2013 Gulf Cup of Nations title and to third place at the 2015 Asian Cup. The UAE also reached the final stage of World Cup qualifying, finishing fourth behind Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Australia.
“Mahdi Ali knows all the players as he has worked with many of them both during their youth days and then graduating to the senior national team,” added the official.
“I can’t say anything about Mahdi Ali’s contract but he will be in charge for the remainder of the season for sure. The club will present the new coach to the media once the deal is finalised.”
Mahdi Ali’s first task is a Dubai derby against Al Wasl on Friday.
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Tips from the expert
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA
FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.
FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds. Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.
FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Federer's 11 Wimbledon finals
2003 Beat Mark Philippoussis
2004 Beat Andy Roddick
2005 Beat Andy Roddick
2006 Beat Rafael Nadal
2007 Beat Rafael Nadal
2008 Lost to Rafael Nadal
2009 Beat Andy Roddick
2012 Beat Andy Murray
2014 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2015 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2017 Beat Marin Cilic
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
