Behind every Gulf Cup in the coffers of the Saudi national team are names that made part of the story. Some of them appeared on the technical line, and some of them worked away from the limelight in managing the team, but all of them were linked to the four coronation stations achieved by “Al-Akhdar” in the history of the Gulf Cup. From Gulf 12 in 1994 to Gulf 27 in 2026, four coaches and four national team managers succeeded in achieving successes, in a record that combines Saudi and foreign schools, and summarizes various stages of the history of Saudi football.
Al-Kharashi and Al-Damash...the first title
In the Gulf 12 in 1994 in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the date came with the first Gulf Cup in the history of the Saudi national team, after “Al-Akhdar” succeeded in reaching the summit for the first time. Muhammad Al-Kharashi was the Saudi coach who led the team to this historic achievement, while Fahd Al-Dahmash was the team manager, making both names bear the first administrative and technical signature on the first Saudi Gulf championship. That coronation was not just a title, but rather the beginning of the Saudi national team’s relationship with Gulf Gold, after years of attendance and competition in the tournament.
Nasser Al-Jawhar and Faisal Abdul Hadi...second title
Eight years later, the Saudi team returned to the podium at the Gulf 15 in 2002, which was hosted by the Kingdom. Nasser Al-Johar led the national team to the second title, adding a new achievement to his career with Al-Akhdar, while Faisal Abdel Hadi was the national team’s manager in that tournament. Thus, Al-Jawhar became the second Saudi coach to lead the team to the Gulf Cup, while Abdul-Hadi entered the list of administrators associated with Saudi titles.
Van Derlem and Turki bin Khalid...the third title
In the Gulf 16 in Kuwait in 2003, the Saudi team did not wait long to return to the top, as it succeeded in achieving its third title in the tournament. The achievement this time came under the leadership of Dutch coach Van Derlem, who became the first foreign coach to lead the Saudi national team to the Gulf Cup, while Turki bin Khaled was the team manager. The third title was a different milestone in Al-Akhdar’s record, as it confirmed the team’s ability to continue its presence in the competition circle, under the leadership of a foreign training school.
Denis and Al-Mafraj...return after 23 years
The last chapter of the story came on Gulf 27 in 2026, when the Saudi team returned to the podium after a long absence, achieving the fourth cup in its history in the Bride of the Red Sea (Jeddah). Greek coach Giorgos Donis led the team to the title, becoming the fourth coach whose name is associated with Saudi Arabia's Gulf Cup victory, after Muhammad Al-Kharashi, Nasser Al-Johar and Van Derlem. At the administrative level, Fahd Al-Mufarrej was the team manager in the tournament, becoming the fourth name on the list of administrators associated with the Gulf “Green” titles.
Badr Al-Raziza, President of the Saudi Football Federation, expressed his happiness at the Saudi team being crowned with the “Gulf 27” title, noting that the spirit that appeared among the players was one of the most prominent features of “Al-Akhdar” during the tournament, while he stressed that the future of Greek coach Giorgos Donis will be subject to evaluation and technical decision.
Al-Raziza said, in an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat after the coronation: “First, we say praise be to God, and we thank the leadership and the Minister of Sports for all the support, and for his presence with us and his support and attendance at the training. Today we say, thank God, the players and the technical staff did not fall short, and this is a tournament that we missed for 23 years, and thank God we were happy with it.”
In response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about what distinguished the Saudi team in this edition, he said: “The spirit of the team is what distinguishes it. The spirit that I felt between the players, and the harmony that existed between them, I think they were special and of a very high degree.”
Regarding Donis’ future with the Saudi national team, Al-Raziza explained: “These are technical decisions, not our decisions, and in the end, any decision related to Donis comes from the technical side, whether the technical director or the competent staff, and we do not know what will happen, but Donis is with us and you saw what he presented.”
Regarding the evaluation of the team’s performance during the tournament, the president of the Saudi Federation said: “In the end, there is a technical evaluation of the performance, and this is what we will look into, God willing.”
Nawaf Bushel, the Saudi national team player, confirmed that winning the “Gulf 27” title carries a different value for him than the championships he achieved during his career, noting that the joy of the Saudi fans over the title represents his most beautiful moments in the tournament.
Bushell said in an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat: “When you make your country happy, the matter is different, and praise be to God. The Saudi people deserve this great joy, and God willing, this will be the beginning of goodness, and the coming will be better.”
Regarding ending the wait of generations of Saudi fans who did not experience the joy of “Al-Akhdar” winning championships, he said: “Previous generations of players did not fall short, but success was not destined for them.” Praise be to God that God has granted us success, and that we have contributed to the happiness of an entire people, and God willing, this will be the beginning of goodness.”
Bushell revealed that the desire to win was present among the players from the beginning of the camp, adding: “From the first day we came to the camp, our focus and goal were clear; Reaching the final and winning the cup, and we did not come just to participate, especially since the tournament is being held on our land and among our fans.”
He added: “The focus was high, and we set achieving the championship as our goal from the beginning, especially since we had been away for a long time from tournaments and from making our fans happy, and thank God that God has honored us today.”
Regarding the Greek coach Giorgos Donis, Bushell said: “Donis is a great coach. He brought great joy to the people. He has experience in Saudi Arabia and knows the players and us well. He gave us confidence, as did the technical and medical staff and all the officials in the national team. No one neglected us.”
Bushell concluded his speech, in response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about the most beautiful moment he experienced in the tournament, saying: “To make the people of an entire country happy... this is the most beautiful moment.”
