Abu Dhabi: Argentinian coach Edgardo Bauza’s exit to take charge of Saudi Arabia has put the UAE football back to square one in terms of search for the right coach.
Bauza, in his short reign since taking over from Mahdi Ali this May, had managed to get one draw, one win and a loss from the remaining three World Cup qualifiers — drawing 1-1 away to Thailand, followed by a 2-1 win at home to Saudi Arabia and 1-0 loss to Iraq.
His untimely switch has thrown the UAE Football Association (UAEFA) with a fresh challenge of finding a new coach at a time when the team, compared by many as the next best to the one that qualified for the World Cup in 1990, has failed to make it to 2018 Russia World Cup.
With the Gulf Cup to be held in Doha under serious doubt due to ongoing diplomatic crisis, the UAE’s next major challenge is the 2019 Asian Cup at home. The talent pool of the country, which is supposed to take the cue from the Ahmad Khalils and Omar Abdul Rehmans, is also running dry and it is clearly redemption time with an eye on future.
Many feel that it is imperative for the UAE to naturalise few players, playing in the leagues here, if they have to strengthen the national squad.
The name of Cosmin Olaroiu, Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club coach, is already doing the rounds like it was following former Emirati coach Mahdi Ali’s departure. There is no doubt Olaroiu is one of the best candidates for the role as he has plenty of accolades to go with his vast experience. He has time and again moulded teams from scratch and if coaching is about winning trophies, then none better than Olaroiu. During his coaching stints with Al Ain and the now dismantled Al Ahli, the Romanian has lifted 10 titles in the span of six years.
However, roping in Olaroiu means leaving the newly formed Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club on a sticky wicket at a time when they too are undergoing a transition following the unification of three clubs. For the purist fans of the three clubs, Olaroiu’s move to the national side will also be another hard pill to swallow.
Hence, it will definitely take some asking from the UAEFA committee to convince Olaroiu and the Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club board to release him. The other go-to man for UAEFA is former Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic, under whom the club jumped 200 places in the world club rankings and became the fifth best club in Asia. The Croatian has been in UAE since 2012 and knows the dynamics of football here.
In the coming days, there will certainly be a lot of closed door negotiations and the hunt for new coach will be keenly followed by the local media.
