Olaroiu’s Curtain Call: Sharjah Target ACL2 Redemption in Singapore

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Outgoing Sharjah FC head coach Cosmin Olaroiu has one last shot to bring continental honours to the club he has helmed for three-and-a-half seasons.

The soon-to-be United Arab Emirates head coach will be aiming to deliver Sharjah’s first continental trophy, adding to an already impressive haul that includes two UAE President’s Cups, a UAE League Cup, and a UAE Super Cup.

One of the region’s most decorated coaches, with league titles in South Korea (Suwon Samsung Bluewings), Saudi Arabia (Al Hilal), and China (Jiangsu Suning), the Romanian has restored Sharjah as a title contender since taking the reins.

However, the team has recently hit a rough patch after their bid for an unprecedented quadruple fell short.

A wretched five-game winless streak saw them finish as runners-up in both the league and the President’s Cup, falling to Olaroiu’s former side, Shabab Al-Ahli. Coupled with a semifinal exit in the League Cup to the same opponents in March, the ACL2 title now stands as their final shot at silverware.

“We always learn from every game that we play. At the start of the season, we knew it would be a tough season for us and we would struggle a lot. By the work of these fantastic players, we arrived at the stage to fight for the title… We reached the finals, and this is a big achievement for the club. And now we have the last final, and we have to focus.”

“It’s time to take revenge and to get the trophy that these players deserve.”

The Emirati side boasts the likes of former Queens Park Rangers and Benfica star Adel Taarabt, South Korea’s Cho Yu-min, and skilful Brazilian forward Caio Lucas, who has notched five goals and three assists in his club’s run to the ACL2 finals.

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The team is also determined to give their gaffer a fitting farewell as he prepares to transition to international football, with Olaroiu’s debut as UAE head coach set for a World Cup qualifier at home against Uzbekistan on June 5.

“My teammates and I will try to do our best to win. For sure, it will be a pleasure to give (him) this gift. So we will work together to try to do our best to win the game and give this gift to the coach,” Caio said.

Some 5,824km from home, Sharjah will need to quickly adapt to unfamiliar surroundings, as the players took their first steps on the newly refurbished Bishan Stadium pitch.

In early April, the UAE club issued a statement on social media requesting “the allocation of a suitable stadium worthy of the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Champions League Two final” after Jalan Besar Stadium was initially earmarked for the fixture. They cited concerns over Jalan Besar Stadium’s limited audience capacity and the artificial turf pitch, deeming both unsuitable for the occasion.

Speaking on the final’s new venue, Olaroiu pulled no punches, saying: “For me, my point of view is that we should be in a proper stadium with bigger capacity because football is for the fans. The people should be able to participate in the final. If we played in a different stadium with a bigger capacity, our supporters would have a higher possibility to watch the game. And now some of them are frustrated because they cannot attend the game.”

“Other things like quality of the pitch, everything should be at the maximum standards because it is a final. It is publicity for football, for the region, in Asia, and for all the people watching. But I think they made big efforts to fix these problems. And now we are here. We have to play here… Our target is the same. We have to forget about all these things.”

But the 55-year-old, who came closest to continental success in 2015 when his Shabab Al Ahli side lost 1-0 to Guangzhou Evergrande over two legs, has remained fully focused on the task at hand.

When asked about his opponents, Olaroiu responded: “It’s a team that is very well-organised, well-prepared. And they have good potential. They know how to defend and how to go into the spaces. It’s a tough opponent to play. Also, they have managed very well in attack with the players they have in front.”

But for the Bucharest native, the result all comes down to the players’ mentality on the night of the final.

“The players have to deal with their emotions, their stress. And how they will be able to control themselves will be a very important factor in this game.”