UAE appoint Romanian Olaroiu to replace Bento as head coach

UAE appoint Romanian Olaroiu to replace Bento as head coach
Cosmin Olaroiu has been appointed United Arab Emirates head coach, the country’s FA announced on Saturday. (Reuters/File)
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Updated 19 April 2025

UAE appoint Romanian Olaroiu to replace Bento as head coach

UAE appoint Romanian Olaroiu to replace Bento as head coach
  • The 55-year-old Romanian takes over from Portuguese Paulo Bento
  • Olaroiu has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons with UAE club Sharjah

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 , 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. They then visit Kyrgyzstan in Group A five days later.


Dominant Dubai Basketball halt Craven Zvezda’s winning run

Dominant Dubai Basketball halt Craven Zvezda’s winning run
Updated 27 sec ago

Dominant Dubai Basketball halt Craven Zvezda’s winning run

Dominant Dubai Basketball halt Craven Zvezda’s winning run
  • The 102-86 win lifted Dubai’s record to 4-6 in their debut EuroLeague season

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball delivered one of their most complete performances of the season in Round 10 of the EuroLeague by securing a 102-86 victory over Crvena Zvezda on Tuesday.

The result lifted Dubai to a 4–6 record and ended the Serbian team’s seven-game winning streak while removing them from the league’s top position.

From the opening minutes, Dubai imposed a fast tempo and consistent physical presence in the paint.

The home side’s activity on the offensive glass and balanced ball movement set the tone, helping create second-chance scoring opportunities and keeping the visitors under constant pressure.

Dubai finished the evening with 15 offensive rebounds and 24 assists, numbers that reflected the collective approach seen throughout the night.

At the center of that effort was Kenan Kamenjas, who produced his strongest EuroLeague performance to date.

The Bosnian center provided scoring efficiency around the rim and controlled the rebounding battle, finishing with 20 points and nine boards. His production gave Dubai a reliable interior focal point on both ends of the floor at key stages of the game.

Head coach of Dubai Basketball, Jurica Golemac, said: “Today we played a good game with strong energy and focus. I’m happy with how the team responded, especially after a tough week.

“We showed character, fighting from the start until the end. Now we have to prepare for the next one. It’s going to be another tough game, and we’ll need our fans again because they give us that energy, especially in the important moments.”

There were significant contributions throughout the roster. Filip Petrusev added a strong all-around display with 13 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.

Aleksa Avramovic, who made his EuroLeague debut in a Dubai jersey, delivered 17 points and two rebounds while providing valuable energy and pace from the bench.

Dwayne Bacon added 16 points and three assists, strengthening Dubai’s perimeter scoring presence and helping maintain control throughout the contest.

The victory reinforces Dubai’s strong form at home, where the team has gone unbeaten at Coca-Cola Arena since February.

Dubai now have a EuroLeague matchup against Lithuanian giants Zalgiris Kaunas, another league topper, on Nov. 14 at Coca-Cola Arena.