Nawaf Bushel, the Saudi national team player, confirmed the positive atmosphere inside the “Green” camp, despite the exclusion of Musab Al-Jawir for disciplinary reasons, stressing that the players’ focus is on facing Kuwait, in the opening of the “Gulf 27” Gulf Cup competitions, which is hosted by Jeddah.
Speaking to the media before the confrontation, Bushell said: “The atmosphere is very positive, and what happened was an administrative decision, and we as players are focused on the match, and there is nothing that affects us. Those who are there are good and blessed, and we look forward to achieving victory.”
He added: “Our preparations are great, and our focus is initially on the Kuwait match and achieving the three points, and after that we will proceed step by step to reach our goal and make our fans happy.”
Regarding the importance of the public attendance in the opening match, he said: “The Saudi fans support us in all forums, so what about when the match is in Jeddah? With full appreciation to our fans in the rest of the regions, but the Jeddah fans are always different with their presence, and we hope that it will motivate us to achieve victory and make them happy.”
Regarding facing the Kuwaiti team, which holds the record for the number of Gulf Championship titles, Bushell explained: “The Kuwaiti team has its history, respect and appreciation, and it is an ancient team, but we prepared well for the match, and we look forward to achieving victory and making our dear fans happy.”
Regarding the nature of Gulf competitions, and whether they differ psychologically or technically, Bushell stressed that the technical aspect represents the most important factor, adding: “Applying the coach’s tactics is the most important, and with God’s grace, we will be able to achieve what we aspire to.”
Jassim Al-Rumaihi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Football Association, confirmed that preparations have been completed for the launch of the Gulf Cup tournament in Jeddah. Pointing out that the Federation is working to develop the tournament and enhance its public and media presence.
Al-Rumaihi welcomed the attendees, thanking the Saudi Football Federation and the relevant authorities for their efforts in organizing the tournament, while Majid Al-Sahib, Secretary-General of the Saudi Football Federation, extended his warmest congratulations and blessings, on the occasion of Saudi National Day, to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince, praising their support for the tournament and their generous patronage, in addition to the support of the Minister of Sports.
Al-Sahib explained that the championship competitions will be held in two stadiums: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium. Pointing out that about 600 media professionals were accredited to cover the event, and the necessary facilities were provided to them. He added that the opening ceremony will be simple and bear a Gulf cultural character.
Regarding television broadcast rights, Al-Rumaihi explained that the Gulf Federation contacted various Gulf channels, and an agreement was reached with the “Al-Kass”, “Oman” and “Shasha” channels, stressing that the door is still open for sports channels wishing to purchase the rights.
He pointed out that the prices of transmission rights did not witness an increase or decrease compared to the previous version, calling on interested channels to apply to purchase the rights.
Al-Rumaihi revealed that the upcoming Gulf Junior Championship will witness the participation of the teams of China, Morocco and Egypt, in addition to the Gulf teams, explaining that the Executive Committee of the Gulf Federation is working to develop the tournament in various aspects.
Regarding holding the tournament during this time of the year, and the hot weather that accompanies it in Jeddah, Al-Sahib said that the Saudi Federation is committed to a specific schedule, in light of the pressure of the tournaments hosted by the Kingdom.
Al-Rumaihi called on the media to support the attendance of the masses. Especially since the tournament coincides with the Saudi National Day, he expressed his hope that the celebrations would be complete with the public attendance.
He explained that the Gulf Federation contacted the federations of the Gulf states in order to support the fans of their teams and urge them to buy tickets. Pointing out that the turnout at the beginning of the tournaments may be limited before it increases gradually, stressing that Jeddah is a city known for its passion for football and its stadiums are filled with fans.
Regarding ticket prices, Al-Rumaihi confirmed that the Gulf Federation coordinated with the organizing committee, and after consulting with it, the current prices were approved, explaining that - from the Federation’s point of view - they are commensurate with the size of the tournament, compared to the prices of Asian and other championships.
For his part, Al-Sahib explained that dealing with Jeddah during the tournament will not be limited to a specific area for fans; Pointing out that the city is distinguished by its cultural and entertainment diversity, he called on visitors and audiences to enjoy its various atmosphere and landmarks.
Regarding the financial returns of the tournament, Al-Rumaihi said that it is too early to determine the size of the revenues, expressing his hope to achieve returns that exceed the previous edition, revealing the presence of a number of supporters and sponsors, in addition to new agreements expected to be concluded soon.
He stressed that the multiplicity of commercial partnerships represents a gain for the Gulf Federation and contributes to strengthening and developing the tournament.
The Greek Donis, coach of the Saudi national team, confirmed that the goal of “Al-Akhdar” in participating in the Arabian Gulf Cup (Gulf 27) is to achieve the title, noting that the exclusion of Musab Al-Jawir for disciplinary reasons represents a technical loss for the team, but he stressed his confidence in the current group and its ability to overcome the circumstances surrounding the team.
Denis said, during the press conference preceding the confrontation between the Saudi team and its Kuwaiti counterpart: “I am happy with this competition, and with its holding in Saudi Arabia, specifically in Jeddah. We must represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the best way possible to make our fans happy, and we call on them to support us and give us more confidence.”
Regarding the Saudi team’s goal of participating in the Gulf Championship, and whether it aspires to achieve the title or exploit the competitions to prepare for the Asian Cup, Denis explained that representing the Saudi team imposes on everyone the responsibility of providing the best levels.
He said: “I think that representing the Saudi national team makes it different from what we were in the World Cup. We want to develop and play better, and our goal is to achieve the championship. I think the general atmosphere is very good, and I can say that things would be better if we were victorious, and if what happened with Musab Al-Jawir had not happened.”
He added: “What happened gives us some negative energy, but we have quality. The good thing is that most of the players have good experience. We want to celebrate National Day, show our passion for playing, and provide a good level in the confrontation.”
The Saudi national team coach touched on the pressures that may accompany the participation of “Al-Akhdar” in a tournament held on its home soil and among its fans, stressing that dealing with these pressures represents an important part of preparing for the competitions.
He said: “In general, playing football without pressure is abnormal. The important thing is that we control pressure well, and that it does not make us lose our way and style. “Every match is different from the other, and so are the tournaments.”
He added: “We have experience and youth, and when the team is ready for everything, we want the players to be able to communicate well. “Our group includes three teams that participated in the World Cup, which means there is a lot of quality.”
Speaking about the absence of Musab Al-Juair, and the possibility of replacing him with player Mukhtar Ali, Denis explained that the two players possess different technical characteristics, and that Al-Juair’s absence will deprive the team of some of the solutions that he was providing in the midfield.
He said: “It is not possible to compare Musab Al-Jawir and Mukhtar Ali. Each player plays in a different space. Mukhtar could give us an addition in the middle, and Musab would give us something else.”
He added: “We believe that we have quality, and we know that Musab’s absence is influential, and what happened did not give us the opportunity to benefit from it. We must remain stable, even if some things happen that distract us.”
Denis recalled the Saudi national team's participation in the 2026 World Cup, noting that the team made a great effort during the tournament, but was unsuccessful in some of the decisions it made on the field.
He said: “In the World Cup, we ran a lot and worked a lot, but we made some wrong decisions. The important thing is that we maintain our confidence and control of the match.”
The Saudi national team coach spoke about the development of the local league, and the extent to which investments and contracts with foreign stars are reflected at the national team level, pointing out that the strength of the competition does not necessarily mean having a strong team.
He said: “We must analyze everything and face reality.” The Saudi League has developed greatly, as we have signed many stars and quality players, but having a strong league does not necessarily mean that we have a strong team.”
He added: “We benefit from this by having a better personality, and we want to play with better standards and greater personality. The negative side is that we sometimes miss the issue of playing and getting big minutes of participation, and the goalkeepers, for example, are mostly foreigners.”
Denis stressed his confidence in the capabilities of the Saudi players, and the importance of benefiting from the positive aspects witnessed by the local league, and working to continuously develop the team’s performance.
He said: “I believe in the players, and we must reinforce the positives.” Tomorrow is not a final confrontation. We will play against Kuwait with our personality and identity, and then we will analyze the mistakes. Every confrontation is different from the other, and our goal is to improve from what we were.”
