Explosive Start to the First Division... 3 Matches Kick Off the Race
Competitions for the Zain First Division begin with matches featuring major teams against new clubs.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
The opening round of the Zain First Division will kick off tomorrow evening with three matches scheduled to start simultaneously at 5:50 p.m. The draw spared Al-Yarmouk from playing in this round, as only seven teams are participating in the tournament.
The most prominent clash of the round will see Al-Burqan face Al-Jazeera at the Nasser Al-Asimi Stadium. Meanwhile, Sporty will host its counterpart Khaitan at the Naif Al-Dabous Stadium, while the third match will feature Al-Shamahi against newcomers Al-Ittihad Al-Ahli (Police Union) at the Coastal Stadium.
Al-Salmiya and Coastal previously secured promotion to the Premier League last season after a fierce competition with Al-Yarmouk. The current tournament’s regulations stipulate that the top two teams will be promoted to the Premier League, while the bottom two will be relegated, with the possibility of new clubs joining next season.
Al-Burqan enters the match eager to make up for last season’s disappointment, which saw them finish fifth. The club has parted ways with Turkish coach Genik Ozsakan and signed Russian coach Alexander, formerly of Khaitan. They held a training camp in Cairo, which included four progressive friendly matches.
On the other hand, Al-Jazeera, under the leadership of Ibrahim Al-Obeid, continues its project after narrowly missing promotion last season, losing out in the final round. The team trained locally and played three strong exhibition matches against Al-Salmiya, Al-Shabab, and Kazma, achieving notable results.
The clash between Khaitan and Sporty appears wide open to all possibilities. Khaitan has strengthened its squad with several standout players and hired coach Ozsakan, while Sporty is banking on its new coach, Dr. Faiz Faraih, to erase the image of last season, which ended with them finishing last with only two wins.
In the third match, Al-Ittihad Al-Ahli (Police Union) begins its First Division campaign under coach Muhammad Bu-Abbas against Al-Shamahi, which delivered an acceptable performance last season despite finishing seventh from last. This serves as a true test for the ambitions of the newcomer, which is following in the footsteps of Al-Jazeera, Al-Shamahi, and Sporty in its early professionalization efforts.
