Cosmin Olăroiu appointed coach of UAE football team
The UAE Football Association has appointed Cosmin Olăroiu as the national team's Head Coach, it was announced on Saturday.
The Associated said it signed a two-year contract with Romanian national Olăroiu.
The new appointment comes less than a month after the team's former coach, Paulo Bento, was sacked just a day after the UAE's AFC World Cup qualifier victory against North Korea.
Bento's backroom staff were also dismissed.
Olăroiu has coached a series of decorated clubs in the region, including Al Hilal, Al Sadd, Al Ain, and Al Ahli.
He has been coaching the Sharjah football team since 2021 after returning from his post in Jiangsu Suning under the Chinese Super League, where they won the Super League title for the first time in the club's history.
He also guided Sharjah to the AFC Champions League Two final.
The UAE national team is currently in third place in Group A of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup with 13 points after Uzbekistan (17 points). Iran leads with 20 points.
The UAE national team will face Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in the final matches of the qualifiers on 5th and 10th June respectively.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Filipino Times
12 hours ago
- Filipino Times
EJ Obiena wins third straight Asian pole vault gold in South Korea
Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena defended his title at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships, winning the gold medal in the men's pole vault event in Gumi, South Korea. Obiena cleared 5.77 meters, placing him ahead of his closest rivals from China and Thailand. This is his third time winning gold at the Asian championships. The silver medal went to China's Bokai Huang, who managed to jump 5.72 meters. Thailand's Patsapong Amsamarng took the bronze with a jump of 5.67 meters. Pole vault is a track and field event where athletes use a long pole to jump over a high bar. It requires strength, speed, and technique—skills that Obiena continues to showcase in every international competition. Obiena's win brings pride once again to the Philippines, especially for Filipinos living and working abroad who closely follow his achievements. He is also preparing for upcoming events leading to the Paris Olympics in 2024, where he is expected to represent the country. Written with the contributions of Alona Cochon.
Dubai Eye
a day ago
- Dubai Eye
Jordan secure first-ever FIFA World Cup qualification
Jordan made history on Thursday, earning their first FIFA World Cup qualification with a dominant 3-0 victory over Oman. This decisive win of Jordan's national team, 'The Nashama', achieved on the second to last matchday of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 tournament, secured Jordan's second-place finish in Group B. The match was held at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, with Jordanian player Ali Olwan scoring all three goals for the team. Jordan's Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II was also seen at the match supporting the team alongside his brother Prince Hashem bin Abdullah. The result also confirmed South Korea's qualification, as third-placed Iraq's 2-0 defeat to South Korea ensured Iraq could no longer overtake Jordan.
Al Etihad
a day ago
- Al Etihad
Uzbekistan and Jordan qualify for World Cup for the first time
6 June 2025 01:45 FRANKFURT (dpa)Uzbekistan and Jordan have qualified for the football World Cup for the first time, and South Korea have also booked their place.A 0-0 draw against the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi on Thursday was enough for the central Asian nation to be assured of a top-two finish in their qualifying group and entry to next year's finals in the United States, Canada and won 3-0 at Oman but it took South Korea's 2-0 in Iraq to seethem through to the June 11-July 19, 2026, finals. South Korea alsoqualified with their now have eight direct slots for the World Cup due to itsexpansion from 32 to 48 teams. So far qualified apart from Thursday's trio, and the directly entered three co-hosts, are title holders Argentina, New Zealand, Iran and are also all but through after a 1-0 win over Japan. Theyare second in their group, three points and eight goals ahead of Saudi Arabia with one game left.
