6 Saudi internationals hit with punishments for disciplinary violations before the Asian Cup
Saudi national team coach Robert Mancini revealed on eve of tournament that some players had refused to play in friendlies
Updated 13 February 2024
Arab News
Six Saudi Arabian football internationals have been punished for disciplinary violations ahead of the recent AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency.
Coach of the Green Falcons Roberto Mancini dropped a bombshell before the tournament when he revealed that the reason behind the axing of three of the team’s more experienced players — Salman Al-Faraj of Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr pair Sultan Al-Ghannam and Nawaf Al-Aqidi — was their refusal to play in certain friendly games prior to the main event in Qatar.
The announcement caused uproar at the time among fans, with suggestions that the Italian’s action could affect team morale.
But it now looks like the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has come down strongly on Mancini’s side with a series of punishments for those players, along with Mohammed Maran, Khalid Al-Ghannam, and Ali Hazazi.
Goalkeeper Al-Aqidi has been suspended for five months and fined SR300,000 ($80,000) for violations which include a request to postpone the team’s camp; a request for the team’s management to deliver a message in which he stated that he did not want to join the camp; sending a message containing abusive language; and a request to leave the camp because he believed that he was the team’s third-choice goalkeeper.
Sultan Al-Ghannam has been fined SR200,000 for his request for an exemption from joining the team’s camp ahead of the Asian Cup, during a meeting on Dec. 28.
Al-Faraj, who captained Saudi Arabia at the World Cup in Qatar, has been hit with a SR100,000 fine after he refused to join the squad after being summoned to the team camp that was held in October.
The other three players — Maran (Al-Nassr), Khalid Al-Ghannam and Hazazi (both Al-Ettifaq) — have been suspended for a month and each fined SR200,000 following their request to leave the national team’s camp after they were left out of the official Saudi squad for the AFC Asian Cup, despite there still being an opportunity to force their way into the final list if other players were injured.
Al-Hilal has to delay title celebrations as Al-Nassr beats Al-Okhdood
Marcelo Brozovic’s 91st minute winner means the leaders can wrap a 19th Saudi Pro League championship against Al-Hazem on Saturday
Updated 10 May 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: A stoppage-time goal by Marcelo Brozovic secured a 3-2 win for Al-Nassr against gallant Al-Okhdood on Thursday night at Prince Hathloul Stadium, which means a delay for Al-Hilal’s crowning as Saudi Pro League champions.
Al-Nassr had led 2-0 at half time before the home team mounted a spirited second-half comeback to square the match, a result which would have handed the title to leaders Al-Hilal with four matches left.
The win raised the Yellows’ points tally to 77 points, nine behind their Riyadh rivals. Al-Hilal can wrap up a record-extending 19th championship on Saturday night with a win or draw against Al-Hazem in Riyadh.
Al-Nassr took the lead through Brozovic after only seven minutes and a comfortable win was on the cards when Cristiano Ronaldo made it 2-0 only eight minutes later.
However, goals by Hassan Al-Habib on the hour mark and Saviour Goodwin 10 minutes later looked to have earned the 15th-placed team a vital point in their battle against relegation.
In the unlikely event they fail to win against Al-Hazem, Al-Hilal will have another chance on May 17 against Al-Nassr in the Riyadh Derby at Al-Awwal Park Stadium.
Hero Malcom assists and scores as Hilal edge closer to SPL title
The Brazilian played starring role in the 2-1 Saudi Classico win against Al-Ahli in Jeddah
Updated 07 May 2024
Arab News
JEDDAH: Brazilian star Malcolm was the hero for Al-Hilal on Monday night when he managed an assist and a decisive goal in their 2-1 win over Al-Ahli in the latest Saudi Classico in Jeddah.
The match had been postponed from the 28th round of the Saudi Pro League due to Al-Hilal’s AFC Champions League commitments.
Malcolm set up Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic for the equalizer on 52 minutes after Saudi international Firas Al-Buraikan had given Al-Ahli the lead on the half-hour mark at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
Malcom then brought Al-Hilal within touching distance of a record-extending 19th league title by scoring the winner in the 89th minute.
Al-Hilal signed Malcom on a four-year contract from Zenit St. Petersburg last summer. And with five matches remaining until the end of his first season, he has scored 22 goals for the club, 14 of which have come in the SPL.
Saudi women tackling, kicking their way into football
Ministry of Sports has reported a 150 percent increase in women’s participation
Updated 03 May 2024
Nada Alturki
RIYADH: Women are finding new territories in various industries as the Kingdom sets diversity and inclusion goals, and football is no different.
There are currently 1,100 female football players registered with Saudi clubs through the leagues, three regional training centers, and four active national teams.
Today, the Women’s Football Department focuses on various areas of grassroots development, like five upcoming local competitions including the Premier League.
The head of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s Women’s Football Department, Aalia Al-Rasheed, told Arab News: “Today, we’re witnessing with Vision 2030 a whole transformation when it comes to the country in general. The Ministry of Sports reported a 150 percent increase in women’s participation (since 2015). The game is growing everyday."
Left to right: Podcast host Mo Islam, CEO of PepsiCo. Middle East Ahmed El-Sheikh, head of SAFF’s Women’s Football Department Aalia Al-Rasheed, Vice President of SAFF Lamia Bahaian, PepsiCo.’s senior marketing manager Anfal Al-Duhilan, Al-Ittihad’s women’s team head coach Kelly Lindsey, Al-Nassr’s goalkeeper Sara Khalid. (Supplied)
Al-Awwal Park Stadium lit up with fireworks Sunday night as Al-Nassr were crowned champions against Al-Ittihad, ending their season on a high with a 1-0 victory.
As the 2023-2024 Premier League concludes, the spirit of celebration still lingers in the air. Female trailblazers in the football sector came together on Monday to champion the incredible women of the Kingdom who are breaking boundaries in the realm of football at Hiwar, PepsiCo’s signature annual event for women empowerment.
In the 2024 Hiwar, hosted in collaboration with the SAFF’s Women’s League, industry drivers spoke about their experiences in pushing the boundaries of women inclusion in the sport, during a panel discussion that evening moderated by Mo Islam, featuring Al-Rasheed alongside Al-Nassr’s goalkeeper Sara Khalid, Al-Ittihad’s women’s team head coach Kelly Lindsey, and PepsiCo.’s senior marketing manager, Anfal Al-Duhilan.
Khalid, one of the Kingdom’s star female football players, reflected on her team’s first-ever international victory last year, winning the premier league twice in a row, and her current, vivid reality in leading the industry into international territory.
But when Khalid left her day job to pursue a football career, she knew she had an example to set and responsibility on her back.
She told Arab News: “Today, I can say I’m one of the first players to represent the national team and my country on an international level, and now with us winning the league and participating in the AFC champion’s league, it’s definitely a huge weight on my shoulders.
“Every decision I have to make must be made thoughtfully and in consideration of everything else, and to always inspire and be inspired by the people around me.”
As a coach, Lindsey said the top struggle is creating equilibrium within a team. Her coaching approach blends physical preparation with cultural understanding, acknowledging the importance of nutrition, sports psychology, and family values within Saudi leagues.
While some Al-Ittihad team members struggled to even pass the ball five times just last summer, they have now managed to compete in the first level of the Saudi football pyramid.
She commended Saudi Arabia’s massive investment into women’s sports, with the SAFF allocating SR49.9 million ($13 million) to women’s football cross-country programs just last year.
Lindsey told Arab News: “By investing in sports, women are not only out in society, they are front and center for everyone to watch, judge, and support.
“The dialogue will change about everything that needs to happen around them so that more women can do their passion, live their passion in work and music and art and culture and sport. It will create a natural dialogue and a push for more infrastructure for women to succeed.”
Last October, this support was bolstered even further as PepsiCo. and the SAFF announced that the multinational’s subsidiary, Lay’s potato chips, will sponsor the 2023-24 Saudi Women’s Premier League.
“Our sponsorship is in alignment with the company’s vision, which is to basically drive diversity and inclusion, aligning with the Saudi 2030 Vision. We wanted to make a difference and really give every single Saudi female the opportunity to pursue her dreams in any field and to continue empowering and supporting them,” said Al-Duhilan.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister describes Saudi Arabia as ‘safest place on earth’
Katia Aviero posts message on Instagram in which she says of the Kingdom: ‘If there is a safe place to walk alone, it is here’
Aviero, who joined her brother’s partner, Georgina Rodriguez, to watch him play in the King’s Cup semifinal on Wednesday adds: ‘Nobody disrespects you here and there are no thefts’
Updated 02 May 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: While Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo was busy scoring a brace on Wednesday in a 3-1 victory over Al-Khaleej that earned his team a place in the King’s Cup final, his sister was praising Saudi Arabia and describing it as the “safest place on earth.”
Asked whether it was safe to walk alone in the Kingdom, Katia Aviero posted a message on Instagram in Portuguese in which she said of the Kingdom: “If there is a safe place to walk alone, it is here.”
She said: “Saudi Arabia is one of the best in the world in terms of safety. You can leave your phone on the table and go and come back without anything happening.”
She added that “nobody disrespects you here and there are no thefts,” and she feels secure at all times.
A Saudi sports website quoted Aviero as saying: “You can also leave your keys and wallet in the car.”
She also posted a photo of herself with Ronaldo’s partner, Georgina Rodriguez, and another women watching the game on Wednesday from a VIP lounge at Al-Awwal Park stadium. She added a note, saying: “We came to give good luck for our king (Cristiano).”
Aviero, who has more than 1.4 million followers on Instagram, also added several posts to her Instagram Story on Wednesday featuring videos of Riyadh streets filmed from inside a car.
Ronaldo scored the first and third goals for Al-Nassr on Wednesday night, with Sadio Mane netting the second from the penalty spot.
The Portuguese star celebrated the semifinal victory with brief message on social media platform X in which he wrote: “The King’s Cup … let’s go.”
Al-Nassr will face fierce rivals Al-Hilal in the final on May 31.
‘Let’s go’: Ronaldo celebrates leading Al-Nassr to King’s Cup final
A 3-1 win over Al-Khaleej means Al-Nassr will face Riyadh rivals Al-Hilal on May 31
Updated 02 May 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo, having led Al-Nassr to the King’s Cup final with a 3-1 win over Al-Khaleej on Wednesday night, expressed his delight in a message to his fans on social media.
Ronaldo scored the first and third goals of the night, with Senegal star Sadio Mane netting the second from the penalty spot during the semifinal at Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh.
Al-Nassr will now meet fierce rivals Al-Hilal in the final on May 31.
The Portuguese star celebrated the win with brief message on X: “The King’s Cup … let’s go.”
He accompanied the message with pictures of his celebrations after scoring the two goals.
The King’s Cup final confrontation is set to be the fifth time the teams have met this season.
At the start of the season, Al-Nassr won the first clash 2-1 in the final of the 2023 King Salman Club Cup (formerly Arab Club Champions Cup) with a brace from Ronaldo.
Al-Hilal emerged victorious in the next two clashes. They first scored a 3-0 victory in the Saudi Pro League at King Fahd International Stadium on Dec. 1; and then a 2-1 win on April 8 in the semifinal of the Diriyah Super Cup in Abu Dhabi, a competition they would go on to claim by beating Al-Ittihad.
Apart from the King’s Cup final, the teams will also meet in the second SPL fixture of the season, on May 17, at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh.
