Al-Hilal have hired a team of Spaniards to look after their age-group teams in a further sign that the Saudi Professional League is looking to become more international in its outlook. The Spanish technical crew will look after the under-17, under-15 and under-13 teams and look to build foundations that will hopefully serve the Riyadh giants well in the future. A club announcement read: “The Spanish technical director Mr. Josep Cifre Alaminos will supervise the technical work of Al-Hilal age-group teams, meanwhile Mr. Francesc Pereto will be in charge of the U-17 team. Mr. Eduardo Balada will be the physical fitness trainer of the team. Mr. Carlos Inarejos will lead the U-15 team, Mr. Miquel Angel Ponce will be their finest coach, while Mr. Eric Barragan will mange the U-13 side.”
The move to try and inject some Spanish flavor into the Al-Hilal setup comes just months after the General Sports Authority and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation signed a deal with Spain’s La Liga to loan nine Saudi Arabian players to Spanish clubs earlier this year.
The headline names in the deal were internationals Salem Al-Dawsari, Yahya Al-Shahri and Fahad-Al Muwallad moving to Villarreal, Leganes and Levante respectively, in a the hope it would prepare them well for the Green Falcons’ World Cup campaign. But the agreement also saw younger, less well-known players move to lower league clubs in a bid to give them an insight into a different footballing culture and allow that to help them grow as players.
Before the loan signings, the vast majority of Saudi Arabia’s best players, both young and old, competed in the country’s top flight. Only one player, Mukhtar Ali, played abroad with Dutch top flight side Vitesse Arnhem.
Al-Hilal’s pre-season training is under way with the early sessions all focusing on fitness and strength work with Nawaf Al-Abed continuing his return to full fitness after a groin injury kept him out of Saudi Arabia’s squad that came third in Group A in Russia.
The pre-season workout will go up a level or two when the squad travels to Austria on Saturday for a training camp. It will be new boss Jesus Jorge’s first opportunity to drum his footballing philosophy into his new charges, a squad that will be bolstered by the the return of not only the injured Al-Abed, but also Carlos Eduardo and Omar Khribin.
Both the Brazilian attacking midfielder and the Syrian Asian player of the year missed Al-Hilal’s AFC Champions League campaign, where they crashed out at the group stage months after narrowly losing the final to Japan’s Urawa Reds.
Al-Hilal hire Spanish technical crew to oversee age-group teams
Al-Hilal hire Spanish technical crew to oversee age-group teams
- Al-Hilal annouce Spanish team to oversee the youth setup at the club.
- Riyadh giants to step up pre-season training in Austria which includes five friendly games against European opposition.
Pakistan will boycott T20 World Cup match against India. ICC says decision will damage cricket
- No reason was given for Pakistan boycotting the game against India, but Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi had criticized governing body ICC for “double standards” by refusing to shift Bangladesh’s games to Sri Lanka
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government says the national cricket team will be allowed to take part in the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup but must boycott its group game against arch rival India.
India and Sri Lanka are co-hosts for the 20-team tournament, which starts Saturday.
Pakistan will play all its games in Sri Lanka — including any in the knockout stage — because of political tensions with India. The two teams are scheduled to meet in a Group A game in Colombo on Feb. 15 in what is often a tournament highlight for fans, broadcasters and organizers alike.
That’s looking in doubt this time.
“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026,” the government posted Sunday on its official X account. “However, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India.”
No reason was given for Pakistan boycotting the game against India, but Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi had criticized governing body ICC for “double standards” by refusing to shift Bangladesh’s games to Sri Lanka. Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland for the tournament.
Naqvi was vocal in Pakistan’s support for Bangladesh and left the decision of Pakistan’s participation in the T20 World Cup to the government when he briefed Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, on the issue.
ICC criticizes decision
The International Cricket Council said in a statement that it was waiting to receive an official communication from the PCB over the planned boycott, while warning against harming “the spirit and sanctity” of the global events.
“This position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule,” the ICC said.
“While the ICC respects the roles of governments in matters of national policy, this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan.”
The ICC said its priority is to successfully organize the T20 World Cup and “expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders.”
The ICC also said it “hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of.”
Pakistan’s first match is against the Netherlands on Saturday in the tournament opener in Colombo. It will then take on the US on Feb. 10 and Namibia on Feb. 18.
India would be set to receive two points if Pakistan forfeits their game.
A Pakistan vs. India tournament game attracts huge interest and is a significant source of income, through broadcasters and sponsors, for the ICC.
Pakistan and India have not played a bilateral cricket series for the last 14 years, but both nations have regularly been in the same group at ICC tournaments.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, who led the team to a 3-0 win in the three-match T20 series against Australia on Sunday in Lahore, said he will follow his government’s instructions.
“It’s (boycotting game against India) not our decision, we can’t do anything about it,” Agha said. “We will do whatever our government and the (PCB) chairman say.”
The strained political relations between the two countries spilled onto the cricket field last year when India’s players refused to shake hands with Pakistan’s players during three Asia Cup games, including the final, in the United Arab Emirates.
