“Hammam” completes his rehabilitation program and joins the “Green” camp

Saudi national team player Hammam Al-Hammami completed his three-week rehabilitation program at the Aspetar Center in the Qatari capital, Doha, following the injury he suffered during the 27th Gulf Cup competitions.

In coordination with Al-Shabab Club, it was agreed that Hammam Al-Hammami will join the “Al-Akhdar” camp in Qatar, to complete the final stage of his rehabilitation program under the supervision of the team’s medical staff.

On a related note, player Alaa Al Hajji has made remarkable progress in his rehabilitation program at the Aspetar Centre, and is scheduled to conclude it next week, after the injury he suffered during the Gulf Cup competitions.

While player Nawaf Al-Aqidi continues to progress in his rehabilitation program under the supervision of the medical staff at Al-Nasr Club, he will complete his program at the Aspetar Center starting next week.

Players Hassan Kadesh and Zakaria Hawsawi are also continuing their rehabilitation programs in their clubs.

On Sunday, the Saudi national football team will launch its preparatory camp in the Qatari capital, Doha, which will continue until November 17, as part of its preparations for the upcoming matches, taking advantage of the international hiatus period approved by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).

During the camp, Al-Akhdar will play two friendly matches at Khalifa Bin Hamad Stadium, the stadium of the Qatari Al-Sadd Club, where he will meet the South Korean national team on November 13, before facing its Uzbek counterpart on the 17th of the same month, in two tests through which the technical staff seeks to determine the readiness of the players and evaluate the available technical options.

The Greek Georgios Donis, the coach of the Saudi national team, had chosen 30 players to participate in the camp, led by goalkeepers Mohammed Al Owais, Hamed Youssef and Abdul Quddus Attia.

The list included Abdul Ilah Al-Omari, Hassan Al-Tambukti, Ali Lagami, Sultan Tankar, Abdullah Al-Khatib, Nawaf Bushel, Muhammad Mahzri, Saud Abdul Hamid, Muhammad Abu Al-Shamat, Mutaib Al-Harbi, and Fares Abdi.

In the rest of the positions, Donis summoned Musab Al-Jawir, Mukhtar Ali, Muhammad Kanno, Ziad Al-Juhani, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Nasser Al-Dosari, Abdul-Malik Al-Ayiri, Sultan Mandash, Muhammad Al-Qahtani, Marwan Al-Sahafi, Muhammad Al-Kuwaikbi, Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, Turki Al-Ammar, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Firas Al-Braikan, and Abdullah Al Salem.

Japanese Kozo Tashima's announcement of his candidacy for the presidency of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) opened a new front against the current president, Gianni Infantino, after one of the most prominent Asian football officials departed from the continental federation's position in support of the continuation of the Swiss-Italian president, at a time when pressure is increasing on the latter due to his relations with US President Donald Trump, and a project to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors.

British press reports reveal dimensions that go beyond the traditional electoral competition, as Infantino faces the possibility of a European alignment forming behind the Japanese candidate, coinciding with American questions about his relationship with the Trump administration, and a parliamentary investigation addressing what Democratic lawmakers described as ongoing attempts by FIFA to get closer to the US President.

According to the British newspaper The Times, Tashima, a member of the FIFA Council and honorary president of the Japanese Football Association, announced Thursday, during a press conference in Tokyo, his intention to compete with Infantino in the elections next March, putting the current president in front of the possibility of running in a competitive ballot after he was a candidate for re-election without opposition.

Although Infantino remains a more likely candidate, Tashima's entry into the race may give him support from a large number of the 55 national federations under the umbrella of the European Football Association (UEFA), which witnessed calls for the resignation of the current president following the revelation of his faltering project to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors.

The irony is that the Japanese Federation decided to support Tashima, despite the Asian Football Confederation announcing its support for Infantino, which puts the declared continental position to an actual test, and reveals a difference between the approach of the Asian leadership and the options of one of the most prominent football powers on the continent.

Tashima spoke about the motives for his candidacy, referring to the scandal of American striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup, after his suspension resulting from a direct red card was suspended following a phone call Trump made to Infantino, according to what was reported by the British report.

The Japanese official also pointed to the way the Iranian national team was treated during the World Cup, as one of the reasons that prompted him to enter the race.

Tashima said: Since I am running, I want to win, but I believe there are more important things than winning or losing.

The candidate needs five letters of support from national unions in order to be able to run in the elections, while the possibility of another competitor appearing before the polling date remains.

In parallel with the electoral division, Infantino faces another file that may double the pressure on him, related to his relations with US President Donald Trump, especially after the Democrats took control of Congress in the midterm elections, according to what was reported by The Times.

One of the cases revolves around a project to sell shares in the World Cup, in which Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, was a candidate to be the main investor in it, before abandoning the project, which raised widespread objections within football circles.

The newspaper revealed that, on July 26, the Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives confirmed the opening of an investigation into what they described as a “continuous campaign” by FIFA and Infantino to curry favor with Trump, and they called on the president of the International Federation to submit documents and appear before the committee.

The results of the US elections may open the door to renewed accountability of Infantino regarding this relationship, at a time when he is preparing to engage in an electoral battle in which disputes related to the management of world football overlap with questions regarding the independence of the International Federation’s decisions.

On the other hand, Tashima's obtaining broad European support remains a possibility, and not an official declared position, and Infantino's continuation as a more likely candidate makes the upcoming competition a test of the size of the opposition rather than a certain shift in the balance of power.

Thus, the current president finds himself facing two simultaneous challenges: a Japanese candidate who enjoys the support of his national federation despite the declared Asian position, and American questions that may reopen the files of his relationship with Trump, while attention turns to the extent of Tashima’s ability to convert objections into electoral votes.