The UAE Football Association took the drastic decision to sack Paulo Bento on Wednesday in the immediate aftermath of a 2-1 win over North Korea that kept their hopes of automatic World Cup qualification alive.
The national team have two games left to close a four-point deficit to Uzbekistan, meaning they need maximum points from their home game against the Uzbeks and their final Group A clash away to Kyrgyzstan, as well as a favour from Qatar, who visit Uzbekistan in the final round of fixtures.
Those games take place in early June and the UAE will have a new coach in the dugout after Bento's mixed spell was brought to a premature end.
The 55-year-old Portuguese was said to be furious with the timing of the decision, but the UAE FA clearly feel the team will have a better chance of pulling off a late qualification miracle under new leadership.
Should they limp home in third or fourth place they will still have a chance to reach the 2026 tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico via a complex fourth round of qualifying or a subsequent inter-confederation play-off.
Given the proximity of the fixtures, it would seem prudent to look close to home so that whoever arrives will do so with existing knowledge of the domestic talent pool.
However, after a colourful cast of nine coaches in the past eight years since the stability of Mahdi Ali's five-year tenure, anything could happen.
Here are five candidates likely to be in the running.
Milos Milojevic
Nationality: Serbian; Age: 42; Current job: Al Wasl
The Serb has already made his mark on UAE football when he led Al Wasl to a Pro League and President’s Cup double last season. That ended a 17-year wait for major domestic silverware with the Dubai club last tasting success in 2007 when they also did the double.
The fact that the UAE’s next game against Uzbekistan is on June 5 – one month after the end of the current Pro League campaign – opens the door for a candidate in employment to see out the 2024-25 season before switching focus to the international game.
Milojevic has a proven track record of success having won silverware in Sweden, Serbia and the UAE, and with Wasl having had a dip in performances this season, it might be an opportune moment to part ways. Wasl and UAE forward Fabio De Lima has played some of his best football under Milojevic at club level.
Cosmin Olaroiu
Nationality: Romanian; Age: 55; Current job: Sharjah
Strangely for a coach who has probably upset every single fan base in the country at some point, the combative Romanian could be the unifying figure the UAE are looking for. Olaroiu certainly has the charisma and force of personality to quickly mould a side in his image - potentially a precious commodity given the urgent need for results.
Olaroiu has won silverware with three different UAE clubs – Al Ain, Shabab Al Ahli and his current employers Sharjah. Having been back in UAE football since 2021, few could boast as deep a knowledge of the pool of players available to the national team.
Hernan Crespo
Nationality: Argentinian; Age: 49; Current job: Unattached
A legendary striker in his playing days, Crespo might be a quick and easy appointment if he was indeed interested in the national team post. The Argentine has been taking some time out since leaving Al Ain last December and is currently a free agent.
In the past he has shown an ability to galvanise a group of players and get results quickly. In 2022 he joined Qatari club Al Duhail and delivered a domestic treble in his first and only full season in charge. He also led them to the last four in Asia, a feat he’d surpass in his next job.
Crespo joined Al Ain in November 2023 and by the end of the season had orchestrated the club’s first continental crown for 21 years. He showed a clear ability to produce results in big one-off games as the cream of Saudi football was swept aside. However, the way his reign unravelled in the winter could count against him.
Paulo Sousa
Nationality: Portuguese; Age: 54; Current job: Shabab Al Ahli
The Portuguese has been a revelation at Shabab Al Ahli this season with the club currently on for a domestic treble. Sousa, a silky midfielder in his playing days, has posted a 71 per cent win rate in guiding them to top spot in the league – they are currently seven points clear – as well as the final of the UAE League Cup and semi-finals of the President’s Cup.
Sousa has had a couple of previous tastes of the international game having been assistant to Carlos Queiroz with his native Portugal, and also in a disappointing stint with the Poland national team in 2021.
Luring him away from his club might prove difficult, but the fact the national team’s next fixtures come at the end of the domestic season might offer a glimmer of hope.
Mahdi Ali
Nationality: Emirati; Age: 59; Current job: Unattached
Ali and his signature red baseball cap were synonymous with a golden generation for the UAE national team in which the likes of Omar Abdulrahman, Ali Mabkhout and Ahmed Khalil dazzled in regional competitions but ultimately failed to help the nation achieve the dream of competing at a second World Cup finals and first since 1990.
Ali is thought to retain admirers in the corridors of power in UAE football, which is hardly a surprise given his previous stint in charge delivered the 2013 Gulf Cup and featured a thrilling run to third place at the 2015 Asian Cup.
He won domestic silverware with Shabab Al Ahli post-national team, but has now been absent from front-line management since 2022.
