Romanian football manager Cosmin Olaroiu will coach Saudi Arabia’s national football team in the 2015 edition of the AFC Asian Cup which takes place in Australia, in January next year.

Olaroiu, 45, is currently the head coach of UAE team Al Ahli, which he led to winning the UAE League in the 2013-2014 season. He received the approval of the club’s president, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, to coach the Saudi Arabian team for one month, according to Mediafax.

Olaroiu is considered one of the best football managers in the Arabian Peninsula, having led some the most decorated clubs of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, such as Al Hilal, Al Sadd and Al Ain, to new trophies.

He started his career in the Middle East in 2007 after managing several Romanian teams. He won the Romanian League with Romanian Steaua Bucharest, in 2006, and qualified the team in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup (now Europa League) in the same year.

editor@romania-insider.com