Saudi Arabia team is Strong in the Midst of an Unusual Crisis!

The Saudi team’s 2-1 victory over Oman in the Asian Cup opener wasn’t just a victory; it revealed the “Green” team’s exceptional ability to bounce back from adversity. After falling behind their Gulf neighbors, the Saudi team rallied to secure a crucial win.

This victory confirmed that Saudi Arabia is a strong candidate for the Asian Cup title despite the tense atmosphere within the team. Previously, a clash had erupted between certain excluded players and the Italian coach, Roberto Mancini. The coach reprimanded the players with sharp criticism, accusing them of rejecting the opportunity to represent the three-time Asian champions..

Mancini excluded experienced national team captain Salman Al-Faraj and Al-Nasr right-back Sultan Al-Ghannam from the squad, both of who were World Cup participants. Just three days before the opening match, he surprisingly excluded three players, including Al-Nasr goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi, despite the latter’s recent involvement in international friendlies.

Addressing the exclusion in a press conference, Mancini revealed that Al-Aqidi insisted on starting and said, “Three days ago, he told the goalkeeping coach, ‘I don’t want to stay here if I don’t play’”.

He continued, “Players must fight for their country’s national team. I want players who value the team over themselves.” He cited that Al-Aqidi repeated requests to leave, so the coach spoke with the president of the federation and informed him about his decision to exclude the player.

Ironically, Raghed Al-Najjar, a goalkeeper in the national team, serves as Al-Aqidi’s backup at Al-Nasr. Ahmed Al-Kassar is set to defend the “Green’s” goal against Oman, as per sports reports.

Responding to Mancini’s statements, Al-Aqidi, in a statement on the “X” website, urged not to put him in a difficult situation of needing to defend his stance or favoring the team’s best interest. He added “I confirm that the information regarding me, mentioned by coach Mancini, who did not speak to me after the friendly Lebanon match until I was excluded, is incorrect.”

The 23-year-old goalkeeper, who played five international matches, continued, “I will talk about the details after the end of our Asian participation, which I hope will end with us achieving a title we haven’t held in a long time.”

The exclusion of Al-Ghannam, who has thirty international caps, was attributed to his alleged reluctance to join the team. Mancini stated, “He does not want to join us,” emphasizing that those unwilling to participate for non-technical reasons won’t be summoned. Moreover, the coach added “What we’ve experienced here is strange; I haven’t experienced this at all before throughout my coaching career.”

Like Al-Aqidi, Al-Ghannam (29 years old) expressed his desire to represent Saudi Arabia, but he frankly revealed his desire to just play. He said, “The technical director, Mr. Mancini, met with me once at his request, not twice… I expressed to him my strong desire to participate and play and my readiness to serve the team on the field with all my might. I also relayed that it is uncomfortable to be a non-participating player, which is normal for every player who dreams of representing their team. I never mentioned to him that participating is only on the condition that I am a starter!”

As for Al-Faraj, he expressed his annoyance at “the questioning of his patriotism and the desire to serve his country’s national team,” after the coach accused him of not wanting to play the friendly trial matches.

The player with 73 international appearances since 2012 added, “After the end of the camp, there was no communication between me and the coach or any official in the national team, and I was not summoned to the final camp. I respected the coach’s decision, but I was surprised by his words today in the press conference.” The player swore to the veracity of his statement, and called for an investigation into the matter, refuting Mancini’s claims.

The controversy didn’t end there, as Mancini disclosed dissatisfaction within the camp, on the part of Mohammed Maran, Ali Hazazi, and Khaled Al-Ghanem, prompting swift action: “Leave the camp now.”

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