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 well as the medical technical staff and all the officials in the national team. No one fell short with 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.”
Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and on his behalf, Prince Saud bin Mishal, Deputy Governor of the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Region, witnessed the final match of the Arabian Gulf Cup Football Championship in its twenty-seventh edition, “Gulf Arabia 27”, and the Saudi team was crowned with the championship cup, after defeating the UAE team with a score of (0-2), in the match that was held between them at Al-Enmaa Stadium in King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
The match was attended by Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, President of the Gulf Football Association, Prince Saud bin Abdullah, Prince Saud bin Turki bin Faisal, Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Jalawi, Governor of Jeddah, Prince Fawaz bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Taif, Prince Nawaf bin Muhammad, and Prince Saud bin Nawaf bin Muhammad.
It was also attended by Deputy Minister of Sports Badr Al-Qadi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Football Federation, Badr Al-Ruzaiza, and heads and representatives of sports federations in the Arab Gulf countries.
The Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee said: I extend my sincere congratulations and blessings to our wise leadership on our team’s victory in this precious tournament. Which represents great importance to us as Gulf people. I also appreciate my brother, the Deputy Emir of the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Region, for his presence and coronation of the team that won the precious title. I congratulate our loyal fans, who had the biggest role in the Green March in this tournament, and were the best supporter of our Falcons in achieving this precious title. All thanks to all the teams for their participation in this Gulf sports gathering, and for the distinguished levels they presented and honorable sporting competition, and we wish them success in the upcoming tournaments - God willing - the Minister said. Sports.
Greek Giorgos Donis, coach of the Saudi national team, confirmed that “Al-Akhdar” deserved to be crowned the “Gulf 27” title, noting that the tournament gave him a greater opportunity to get to know his players and watch their development, stressing that commitment and teamwork were among the most prominent reasons for success.
Donis said in the press conference after the final: “We are very happy, and I congratulate the players. This tournament was important for us, and I watched the players develop and became better acquainted with them. We went through a lot of difficulties and overcame them, and the players were always distinguished by their commitment, and we were the best team in the tournament.”
Regarding the final match, he said: “We scored early and were able to control the course of the match and create many opportunities. We faced difficulties, especially with Firas, Kanno and Al-Dosari playing a lot of minutes amid pressure and fatigue. However, the players gave a wonderful performance, and I am happy that we achieved the championship.”
The Greek coach explained that the group spirit was present from the beginning of the journey, adding: “From the first day, the players had desire and passion, and there was cohesion and harmony within the team. We learned a lot from the World Cup experience, and with instructions and work, we improved and developed step by step, and I believe that the players deserve this result.”
Donis thanked the Saudi fans and said: “I congratulate the fans, as they provided us with the best support throughout the tournament. We saw great desire, love and passion from them, and they supported us at all times. “I looked at them and felt that they deserved this joy, and today we made them happy.”
He added: “The players now feel confident and proud, and they can achieve more together. I thank everyone who worked on this tournament, and everyone who gave me this opportunity to achieve this achievement.”
Denis expressed his pride in working in Saudi Arabia, saying: “I want to do a lot of work for this country that I love, and I am proud to be here. I have a lot of friends here, and in Saudi Arabia the most beautiful people.”
Regarding the future of the team, he said: “I expect that we will continue to provide the same performance. When I took over the job, I did not know the players completely, and we did not play many matches, but with the passage of time we improved a lot, and now we see the amount of understanding and development within the team.
He stressed the importance of building on the current group, adding: “I always focus on teamwork, and we must develop football and prepare for the upcoming challenges.” After the World Cup results, I spoke with the officials and offered some solutions. There is a great desire to achieve better results, but we must continue to work and perform better.”
The coach asked for patience with the players, and said: “I respect the media, and I ask you for your patience and support.” We want to develop football and continue with this group of players, like Hammam and Firas. We have to be patient with them, and we will give our best in the upcoming events.”
Denis concluded his speech by stressing that the evaluation phase will begin after the title celebration, saying: “We will enjoy this moment, then evaluate our work and study all the matches technically, and search for the best solutions. We will choose the players that best suit us, and we will see what happens next month, with our next choices being in December.”
