UAE national team coach Cosmin criticizes the referee’s style…and confirms: “I know him well!”

The coach of the Emirates national team, Romanian Elario Cosmin, confirmed that “Al-Abyad” still has the chance to pass the Iraqi national team and complete the path to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup finals despite the 1-1 draw in the first leg in Abu Dhabi, indicating that “the national team will fight until the last minute, and that this confrontation represents a real test of the strength of the players’ character.”

In the press conference after the match, Cosmin commented on the performance of the match referee. He said: “I am still watching the disallowed goal and the undeserved penalty kick. The referee I know well, and he often tries to show his strength of character by not counting cases that are 50% in favor of the home team.”

In response to a question from “Emirates Today” about how to turn pressure into a positive factor: “After the match, I spoke with the players in the locker room and told them that we have a second half ahead of us in Iraq, and we still have a chance that we must fight for.”
Cosmin added: “The Iraqi national team is strong and has players in European leagues, but things are still under control. The match in Basra will be fateful, and it is an opportunity to prove the team’s character because it is not a friendly match, but rather a final-sized confrontation.”
He returned to talking about the course of the match, and said: “It was a difficult and balanced match. We conceded an early goal from a mistake that cost us a lot, and the opponent succeeded in exploiting set pieces well. On the other hand, Khaled Issa was distinguished and saved us from several dangerous chances.”
He added: “In the second half, the performance improved and we scored a second goal and it was canceled due to offside, but we still believe in our chances and we will fight for them until the end.”
Cosmin concluded his speech by praising the large crowd attendance, and said: “The most beautiful thing about the match was the crowd attendance. I have never seen anything like this in the Emirates before. We will play in Basra in front of large crowds, and we have to be more solid and focused. Sometimes the crowd’s pressure on the hosts turns against them, so we have to deal with this atmosphere as if it were part of our mission.”