DUBAI: Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi minister of sports, said that the national team’s Arabian Gulf Cup triumph was the result of concerted efforts to develop football in the Kingdom, and that the players have now overcome a mental barrier that has existed since the title was last won in 2004. Following the 2-0 win over the UAE at Jeddah’s Al-Inma Stadium on Tuesday night, Prince Abdulaziz promised that the team would now build on their victory. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the sports minister said: “Thank God, we were successful today thanks to the efforts of the players and the combined efforts of everyone, in order to deserve to win this championship. “From the first day of the tournament, the players were at the peak of their focus, and everyone was working towards one goal, which was to win the championship, and thank God, the players succeeded in that,” he added. Prince Abdulaziz promised that football and the Kingdom’s sports sector would continue to be supported and developed in line with “the aspirations of our wise leadership, as well as the aspirations of the Saudi people.” Commenting on how this win would influence the national team ahead of hosting the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, Prince Abdulaziz said: “There is no doubt that we will look at the positives and negatives, and everything that was done during this stage, and build on it. There is a saying that winning breeds winning, and today, we broke this barrier by achieving a championship that the players needed, and that we also needed as a sports system. God granted us success today, and God willing, we will build on this achievement in the next stage.”