The technical staff of the Al-Fateh team, led by Moroccan Jamal Al-Salami, granted the team’s players a five-day leave, coinciding with the current cessation of the Saudi Professional League Championship as a result of the postponement of Round 13, as well as the entry of the “FIFA” days, after which the team will resume training in preparation for the next stage, by playing more than one friendly match before the league resumes.
The administration is seeking to organize more than one friendly match with its counterparts in the Al-Sharqiya clubs, specifically Al-Ettifaq and Al-Khaleej, given that Al-Qadisiyah has not played against it yet and it was scheduled to take place after two rounds before the decision to postpone the round and reschedule a number of matches, and therefore it is unlikely to face it in a friendly manner during the current suspension period.
Work is also underway to create real support for the administrative staff, by agreeing with a name capable of combining administrative discipline and technical discussion with the coach, after it became clear that one of the causes of the team’s problems is the indifference of some players, whether in some training or matches.
The date of the current suspension of the league championship came before its scheduled date, to give coach Al-Salami a greater opportunity to get to know the players and their potential and abilities early, after he was anticipating the scheduled halt of the upcoming Asian Cup tournament, but the decision to schedule the continental championship was made, which means that the league will continue in the months of January and February, which makes the current halt the primary opportunity for the coach to get to know more about his players and their levels after he complained of the lack of time that left his team in a “miserable” state and kept him among the clubs. Threatened to collapse.
Al-Fateh is experiencing a major crisis of confidence in terms of surpassing its current status in the Saudi Professional League after it continued its series of negative results and collected only six points from 12 matches, the second weakest point average it achieved with the end of the first third of the league.
This rate represents the second worst start for Al-Fateh in the last ten years at least, as it was the worst in the 2024 season when it was led by Swedish coach Jens Gustafsson, under whose leadership the team collected only five points from the same number of matches it played in this season’s league, after which it was dismissed in the 12th round and the Portuguese coach Jose Gomez was hired, who played the role of savior in that season, but the team’s condition did not develop much other than ensuring it would remain a new season among the adults amid difficult circumstances, deciding last summer. Moving to a new station, currently led by the Gulf team.
The options for replacing the technical staff led by Moroccan Jamal Al-Salami at the Al-Fateh administration seem weak, given that Al-Salami originally came as a replacement for Saudi coach Khaled Al-Atwi after eight rounds had passed, after he collected three points with the team from draws, while Al-Salami only won one win out of four matches in which he led the team, as the last pause period was an opportunity to replace Al-Atwi.
In light of the relationship that was marred by some kind of tension between the new coach and the players, the coach seeks to tone down the tone to create a more positive atmosphere in the next stage in the hope of correcting the team’s path with new contracts in the upcoming winter registration period. However, waiting until that period cannot be acceptable to the club’s management and supporters as there is importance in the point harvest with what is currently available in terms of local and foreign players and names.
Coach Al-Salami criticized the levels of a number of players and mentioned them by name in some press conferences, which raised concerns about the coach’s approach in this aspect and his ability to contain technical matters internally through training or private meetings with the players.
Al-Salami praised the team's performance in general, despite the loss to Al-Hilal in the last round with two unanswered goals in Riyadh, in a clear shift in his approach, although he implicitly criticized the weakness of the parties in his team, especially the two full-backs, expressing his surprise at the recent departure of players from Al-Fateh in these positions.
In more than one season in the last rounds, Al-Fateh escaped the threat of relegation, and this is what made a number of former club employees warn through the popular proverb, “Not every time you hand over the jar.” This means that the management must learn from mistakes, especially since the threat is repeated from one season to another, with a reminder of an important feature of the club, which is its presence alone as a representative of Al-Ahsa Governorate, which is rich in talent and whose people, with all their inclinations, stand behind the team in matches, which made Al-Fateh fans among the top five clubs in terms of attendance, where they contributed. This is about overcoming difficult obstacles, and this is what the management, coaches and players have acknowledged on many occasions.
The horse “Al-Douh” and the mare “Excited Lady” were crowned with the Prince Saud bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Cup for horses and mares, respectively, in the most prominent competitions of the twenty-eighth ceremony hosted by the King Abdulaziz Equestrian Square in Riyadh, on Saturday, within the fourth week of the “Riyadh Racing Season,” which witnessed the holding of the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth celebrations on Friday and Saturday.
The horse “Al-Douh”, owned by Abdulaziz Musaed Salem Al-Salem, clinched the Prince Saud bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Hosn Cup, after excelling in the tenth round, extending over a distance of 1,600 metres, under the supervision of trainer Badan Al-Subaie and led by Al-Khayal Muhammad Al-Yami. Prince Saud bin Salman bin Abdulaziz handed the cup to the winning stable crew after the end of the half.
In the ninth round, designated for the Prince Saud bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Cup for Mares, “Excited Lady”, owned by Al-Shafi’ Muhammad Ali, succeeded in winning the race over a distance of 1,600 metres, led by Al-Khayal Khalid Al-Maimoni and under the supervision of trainer Badan Al-Subaie, who thus achieved two successive victories in the two rounds of the cup. Prince Saud bin Salman bin Abdulaziz handed over the mares’ cup to the winning stable crew.
The eleventh round, which was held for the Abdullah bin Ibrahim Aba Al-Khail Appreciation Award for a distance of 1800 metres, witnessed the victory of the horse “Lalla Durrah”, owned by the sons of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, under the supervision of trainer Ahmed Mahmoud and the horseman Camilo Ospina. Prince Abdullah bin Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz received the appreciation award after the end of the race.
At the conclusion of the twenty-eighth ceremony’s competitions, “God Bless You,” owned by Al-Khalaibis Stable, won the twelfth heat over a distance of 1,600 metres, led by horse rider Nawaf Al-Madian and supervised by coach Fahd Al-Abdul-Moneim.
The ceremony's competitions began with Al-Ghalia, owned by Fahd Abdulaziz Al-Jabr, winning the first half over a distance of 1,200 metres, led by Al-Khayal Muhammad Al-Yami and supervised by coach Abdullah Al-Hamad.
In the second half, "Ya Karim", owned by Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz, achieved first place in the race extending for a distance of 1,400 metres, under the supervision of coach Salman Al-Adhiyani and led by the horseman Nawaf Al-Madhiani.
The stable of Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz continued its presence in the third half, after “We Are All Al Khafji” snatched victory over a distance of 1400 metres, led by the horse Ricardo Ferreira and under the supervision of coach Salman Al Adhyani, so that the stable achieved two successive victories.
As for the fourth half, which was held for a distance of 1,400 meters, the victory of “Lamaa Saja”, owned by Mohammed Fahd Mohammed Azab, under the supervision of coach Bassam Al-Mousa and the leadership of the horse, Alexis Moreno.
In the fifth round, Afzal Muhaymin, owned by Adiyat Al-Qaed stable, succeeded in achieving victory over a distance of 1,600 metres, led by Al-Khayal Raed Al-Fayrouz and supervised by trainer Ali Al-Amil.
The title of the sixth round went to Al-Ghabra, owned by the stable of Mubarak Bin Hindi Al-Khalidi Sons Company, after it won the race over a distance of 1,600 metres, led by Al-Khayal Victor Gutierrez and supervised by coach Saleh Al-Midfa.
In the seventh round, Riyad Riddell, owned by Athba Racing Stable, outperformed his competitors in a 1,600-meter race, led by Alexis Moreno and supervised by coach Mustafa Al-Moussa, adding Moreno his second victory during the ceremony.
The eighth half witnessed the victory of “Ana Ashhad”, owned by Sheikh Abdullah Hamoud Al-Malik Al-Sabah, in the race extending for a distance of 1,600 meters, led by the horse Ricardo Ferreira and under the supervision of coach Abdullah Al-Sidrani, so that Ferreira in turn achieved his second victory of the evening.
The Saudi national team will play two international friendly matches against the national teams of South Korea and Uzbekistan, on the 13th and 17th of November, at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in the Qatari capital, Doha, as part of the “Green” preparation program for upcoming international matches, as part of the technical staff’s efforts to enhance the players’ readiness and determine their technical and physical levels.
The Saudi national team will begin its friendly matches by meeting the South Korean national team, on Friday, November 13, at 5:30 pm, before facing the Uzbekistan national team, on Tuesday, the 17 of the same month, at 6:30 pm, in two tests that are expected to provide the technical staff with an important opportunity to evaluate the team’s performance against two different football schools at the Asian level.
The confrontation with South Korea is of special technical importance, given the Korean national team’s international experience and technical and physical capabilities, in addition to its ability to play at a high tempo and rely on speed in offensive transitions, which gives the Saudi national team players the opportunity to test their defensive capabilities and the extent of their ability to deal with pressure during the match periods.
On the other hand, facing Uzbekistan represents a different test for the “green” team, in light of the development that Uzbek football has witnessed in recent years, and the physical strength and tactical organization that characterizes its team, which allows the technical staff to evaluate the players’ ability to deal with different defensive methods and find appropriate offensive solutions.
It is expected that the two matches will constitute an opportunity for the technical staff to try out a number of technical options, and determine the extent of harmony between the team’s lines, in addition to evaluating the readiness of the elements that may get the opportunity to participate, which will contribute to expanding the base of options available during the next stage.
The international break also represents an opportunity to address some technical aspects, especially those related to offensive effectiveness, the speed of transition between defensive and offensive states, and strengthening organization on the field, which are elements that constitute great importance in building a team capable of providing stable levels against competitors.
The two matches come at a time when the aspirations of the Saudi fans are increasing for the team to appear in an artistic way that reflects the capabilities of its players and confirms its ability to compete in international competitions, especially since such confrontations give the technical staff important indicators that go beyond the results of friendly matches to evaluating collective and individual performance.
The focus during the two Doha matches will be on the extent to which Al-Akhdar has benefited from international experiences, and his ability to translate technical work into balanced performance on the field, in light of the importance of technical stability and raising the level of harmony between the players.
The confrontations with South Korea and Uzbekistan remain important milestones in the Saudi national team’s preparation process, and an opportunity to measure the level of technical development and determine the aspects that need more work before participating in the upcoming official matches.
