
AI-generated summary
Dutch player Wijnaldum joined Al-Ittihad from PSV Eindhoven, and he has previous experience playing with Steven Bergwijn in both PSV Eindhoven and the Dutch national team.
The newcomer to the Al-Ittihad squad, the Dutch player Wijnaldum, said that he now feels like a part of this club, and “I always feel the importance of the relationship with the fans.”
The Dutchman confirmed to reporters after the end of the match against Al-Faisaly: “This is my first match. What I can say is that the fans here are very passionate. Although the match was outside our home ground, it witnessed the presence of a large number of (Al-Ittihad) fans.”
Wijnaldum continued: “My message to the Al-Ittihad fans is clear; I said it before, this season I will give everything I have on a personal level to bring glory back to this club. As a team, we will do our best to succeed. I will also try to build a strong relationship with the fans; Because their support can help us a lot during the upcoming matches.”
He continued: “Our next match will be against Al-Shamal in Qatar, and it will be a difficult match. In fact, every game is tough right now; Because every team we face is a good team. I also talked about the atmosphere and weather, and I believe that the situation in Qatar will be different because of the stadiums. In any case, we have to deal with every match as a difficult confrontation so that we can give our best.”
He continued: “My relationship with Steven Bergwijn is very good, and goes back to the period when he rose to the first team in PSV Eindhoven. Since then, we have been in constant communication. We played together in Eindhoven, as well as in the Dutch national team, so our relationship was continuing before I came to Al-Ittihad.”
He continued: “I wanted to join this club. I spoke with Bergwijn, and he told me that he would be very happy to have me join the team, and that is what happened.”

Al-Ahly achieved an exciting victory over its guest Al-Hazm, 3-1, in the seventh round of the Saudi Professional League, regaining its balance after its recent loss to Al-Qadisiyah, while Al-Ittihad players Danilo Pereira and Wijnaldum expressed their ambitions and focus on the upcoming matches, including facing Al-Shamal in Qatar in the AFC Champions League.

Spaniard Fernando Alonso, two-time world champion in Formula 1, raised questions about his future after he stated that his decision was not imminent, despite pressure from Mohammed bin Sulayem, president of the International Automobile Federation, to stay. In a separate context, FIFA punished two former presidents of national federations for life for financial violations, while Gianni Infantino launched his campaign slogan for re-election, stressing his support for small federations and facing increasing European pressure.

The Portuguese Danilo Pereira, the Al-Ittihad player, confirmed that the club’s fans are very demanding, and this is normal. He stressed the need to maintain focus and continue working match after match, while the Dutch Wijnaldum expressed his happiness in joining the club and his desire to build a strong relationship with the fans and give everything he has to restore glory. Hamad Al-Montashri, the team manager, confirmed that the victory over Al-Faisaly came thanks to God and his success, and the players and coach were at the highest level, and everyone is cooperative and diligent, and Al-Ittihad seeks to make the fans happy and achieve a position. It suits them at the end of the league.

Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, the new arrival to the Saudi club Al-Ittihad, confirmed that he feels that he is part of the club and attaches great importance to the relationship with the fans, praising their enthusiasm and support, while team manager Hamad Al-Muntashari praised the victory over Al-Faisaly and the efforts of the players and the technical staff, stressing the endeavor to make the fans happy and achieve a position worthy of the name of Al-Ittihad.

Italian Giovanni Solinas, Al-Faisaly’s coach, gave his team’s players a week’s leave after losing to Al-Ittihad in the seventh round of the Saudi Professional League, while continuing regular training and playing friendly matches during the suspension of competitions, while the Saudi basketball team lost to Japan 80-86 in the 2026 Asian Games, and the Saudi swimming team joined the camp in Japan in preparation for the tournament.

The Saudi basketball team lost to its Japanese counterpart, ranked second in Asia, with a score of 80-86 in the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, and has one match remaining in the group stage against Indonesia on September 13, while the other Saudi teams in Japan are preparing for the competitions.