Olaroiu’s UAE appointment has been 10 years in the making
DUBAI: If the UAE Football Association’s bold plan comes to fruition, 2025 will be remembered as the year unfulfilled dreams became reality.
Kyrgyzstan Sport News
UAE appoint Romanian Olaroiu to replace Bento as head coach
DUBAI: Cosmin Olaroiu has been appointed United Arab Emirates head coach, the country’s FA announced on Saturday. The 55-year-old Romanian takes over from Portuguese Paulo Bento, who was fired last month despite a last-gasp win over North Korea in Asia’s World Cup qualifiers. The UAE are third in Group A of the preliminaries for the 2026 finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The first two finishers in each of Asia’s three groups progress automatically to the World Cup while the third- and fourth-placed teams advance to another round. Iran have already claimed one of the two berths available from Group A while second-placed Uzbekistan are four points clear of the UAE with two matches remaining. Olaroiu has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons with UAE club Sharjah, and last week guided the team into the final of the AFC Champions League Two. He has worked extensively in the Gulf region, coaching Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Qatar’s Al-Sadd and Emirati side Al-Ain before moving to China, where he won the Chinese Super League title with Jiangsu Suning in 2020. Olaroiu’s first game in charge of the UAE will be their World Cup qualifier at home to Uzbekistan on June 5.
India Bids For 2031 AFC Asian Cup, Will Fight Out With Six Other Countries
India has submitted 'Expression of Interest (EoI)' to host the 2031 AFC Asian Cup, the continent's showpiece football event, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Friday. The AIFF was one of the seven national football bodies which submitted the EoI before the deadline of March 31. "Yes, we have submitted the EoI to host the 2031 AFC Asian Cup. Let us see how it goes," AIFF's deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan told PTI. India will face tough competition from established football powerhouses such as Australia, South Korea and United Arab Emirates to get the right to host the tournament. Indonesia and Kuwait have also submitted the EoI while there is a joint bid of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
UAE sack coach Bento despite Riyadh great escape
The United Arab Emirates sacked Portuguese coach Paulo Bento on Wednesday, the morning after his team kept alive their hopes of direct qualification to the World Cup with a last-gasp win over North Korea in Riyadh.
Klasemen Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 Zona Asia Jelang Matchday 8
Simak di sini klasemen Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 Zona Asia pada babak ketiga untuk sementara, menjelang bergulirnya rangkaian pertandingan di Matchday 8. Indonesia sementara berada di posisi keempat Grup C.
Bento’s refreshed UAE to go all out for a historic second World Cup appearance
DUBAI: Destiny’s call bellows increasingly louder for a refocused and retooled UAE set to restart a World Cup 2026 qualification quest imbued with fresh momentum.
Qatar's Al-Sadd draw as Ronaldo-less Al-Nassr held in Asian Champions League
Abdullah Al-Yazidi earned Qatar's Al-Sadd a 1-1 draw with Al-Wasl in Dubai in the first leg of their Asian Champions League Elite last 16 clash on Monday as Al-Nassr, missing Cristiano Ronaldo, were held to a 0-0 draw by Iran's Esteghlal in Tehran.
Kapadze named new Uzbekistan coach after Katanec departure
Timur Kapadze has been named Uzbekistan national team coach following the departure of Srecko Katanec due to ill health, the country's football federation has confirmed.