In a region where football fans are so highly skilled at tifos, the one Sharjah’s fans made to see off their coach in his last match was pleasingly rudimentary.
Not for them the elaborate choreographies of the giant Saudi Arabian clubs, or even their UAE Pro League counterparts – and visitors on the last day of the season – Al Wasl.
Instead, they went for the tried and trusted option of some black emulsion on a big white sheet. It was the thought that counted, though, and the language used.
“Ai parasit echipa, dar alintrat in istorie,” Sharjah's fans had written, using the manager’s mother tongue of Romanian. Translated, it means: You left the team but you made history.
He certainly did that. Cosmin Olaroiu capped a trophy laden stint at the club by taking them to the AFC Champions League Two title in Singapore in May.
That made them just the second club from the UAE – after two-time Champions League winners Al Ain – to lift a major continental title.
A little over two weeks later, Olaroiu is on the brink of history again, and he has not even taken charge of his new side yet.
Once the powers-that-be had decided to dismiss Paulo Bento as coach of the UAE national team back in March, there only ever felt like one viable option.
Bento’s side had just kept alive their chances of automatic World Cup qualification at the very last in Riyadh. But Sultan Adil’s late, late stoppage time winner over North Korea still failed to save the Portuguese coach’s job.
The following morning, it was announced he was gone, despite there just being two matches left in this phase of Asian qualifying.
The UAE trail second-placed Uzbekistan, who they face at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, by four points, with six still to play for.
Win, and they would need to better whatever result the Uzbeks achieve at home to Qatar on Tuesday when they face Kyrgyzstan at the same time to qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup.
Clearly, the odds are against the national team. Given the situation they are in, the next man in after Bento needed to be the ultimate alpha.
All of which meant it could only be Olaroiu. The hard-faced, no nonsense, serial winner believes it can be done. Which means everyone else must, too.
“They have to,” Olaroiu said. “They have to be positive, and they have to believe. If you don’t believe, you don’t have any chance.
“Now we have this new journey, and when we go there everybody in this team should believe in it. They should believe they can make the dream of this nation come true.
“I think it is one of the countries of the world with one of the biggest improvements and developments in the last [few] years. We should keep pace also in football. This is our mission.”
The can-do attitude marks quite the contrast to the final throes of the Bento regime. Back in March, it felt as though the former Portugal manager had been fighting vainly for appreciation, after a downturn in performances.
“We hope to have a different atmosphere in June because I think that is a good way to show the country supports the team with acts and not just words,” Bento said after the win against North Korea, just hours before he was officially axed.
Now June has arrived, and the atmosphere is entirely different. The UAE FA have flooded their social media feeds with upbeat slogans. They have hired advertising space on billboards on major roads and in shopping malls. All the domestic clubs have joined the mission with goodwill gestures.
And, with it being the Eid holiday weekend, Thursday is likely to be frenzied at the Al Nahyan Stadium.
Olaroiu, for his part, has had less than two weeks with his new charges. It means if he is to bring about success immediately, he will have to rely more on the power of personality than granular planning.
He may know the six-man cohort of Sharjah players in the squad the best, but his expertise is not limited to them. Olaroiu has brought trophies to three UAE clubs in the past: Al Ain, Shabab Al Ahli and Sharjah.
“It is not about only Sharjah players, it is about all the players,” Olaroiu said. “They are players who have value and players who have quality. I think they will come with the hope and belief they can do it.”
Olaroiu has been recruited on a two-year contract. The national team are guaranteed a place in October’s six-team repechage tournament, which for sides who miss out on a top two place in this phase of Asian qualifying.
One significant feature of his successes at domestic level was the tight bond he created with his players. A notable example of that came in the aftermath of Sharjah’s 2-1 win over Lion City Sailors in the Champions League Two final in Singapore.
While his players celebrated, Olaroiu tenderly looked after the two young sons of Caio Lucas, the striker who will likely be his talisman at national team level, too.
Whether Olaroiu can strike up such a deep affection with his new players and their families when – because of the nature of the job – he sees them so much less remains to be seen. But Lucas is optimistic it can be done.
“We have to be like a family,” Lucas said. “It doesn’t matter how, but we have to do our best inside the pitch to make our fans happy.
“Whenever we go inside the pitch it is to win, and this will be no different. When we speak about the national team, the coach [has] the best players in the league.
“I think we have a chance to qualify and we are going there to do our best and make our fans happy.”
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENetflix%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKris%20Fade%2C%20Ebraheem%20Al%20Samadi%2C%20Zeina%20Khoury%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
SECRET%20INVASION
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ali%20Selim%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Samuel%20L%20Jackson%2C%20Olivia%20Coleman%2C%20Kingsley%20Ben-Adir%2C%20Emilia%20Clarke%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
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Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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- 600-seat auditorium
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- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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