RIYADH: Dragan Bisenić, Serbia’s ambassador to Riyadh, caught up with Saudi Arabia’s international footballers ahead of their friendly against Serbia on Tuesday.
“I am grateful for the opportunity given to me by the president of the Saudi Football Federation, Mr. Yasser Almisehal, to greet you before leaving for Serbia,” Bisenić told the team before their departure.
“It is very important for our football history that we play for the first time. You will be surprised how much the best fans in Serbia know about football in Saudi Arabia, which is another proof of how successful Saudi Arabia’s efforts to become an important point on the world football map are already,” he said.
The ambassador also talked about the footballing links between the two nations.
“This was also contributed by the fact that some of our leading players play or played in the Saudi Pro League - Mitrović, Sergej, Rajković: The Serbian national team has a quarter of players from the Saudi league and that’s why it is certainly special in the world,” the envoy said.
The Kingdom will host the FIFA World Cup in 2034 and the Serbians will be hoping to book their spot, having missed out on this year’s competition.
“Your stay in Serbia is at the same time an important motive for us to ensure participation in the FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2034. I hope that we will all gather here, when Saudi Arabia will definitely be the center of world football”, he added.
The match in Bačka Topola ended with a 2-1 victory for the home team Serbia.
Saudi Arabia have qualified to the World Cup finals and will begin their campaign against Uruguay on June 15.
