Al-Qadisiya Resumes Training Today... Al-Arabi Under Pressure
The technical staff, led by coach Mohamed Ibrahim, gave the players a rest day yesterday following their 2-0 victory over Al-Tadamun in the fourth round of the Zain Premier League. The goals were scored by Ayoub El Khadri and Egyptian Abdullah Mutawa, lifting Al-Ahly (the Yellow) to second place with nine points, one point behind league leaders Kuwait.
Al-Qadsiah will host their Asian group matches between October 17 and 23, facing Bangladesh’s Fortis on October 17, Tajikistan’s Regar-Tadaz on October 20, and concluding against India’s Goa on October 23.
Meanwhile, player Yousif Al-Haqan underwent medical tests to determine the nature of the injury he sustained during the match against Al-Tadamun, which forced him to leave the field, and to assess his availability for the Asian competitions.
On another note, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) approved holding the group matches at the Mohammed Al-Hamad Stadium, following an inspection by one of its committees that confirmed the pitch’s readiness to host six matches and the stands’ capacity to accommodate spectators.
A sense of optimism prevails within the team following the squad’s full strength and the impressive return of Abdullah Mutawa, who is considered one of the key cards the technical staff relies on for the upcoming phase, provided he achieves full physical and technical fitness.
Conversely, Al-Arabi Club is experiencing instability after drawing with Kazma and continuing to drop points in the Premier League, just before they compete in the second group of the same tournament at the same time.
Voices within the club have been calling for the dismissal of the technical staff led by Croatian coach Goran Sablic, who has so far failed in his mission. The team was eliminated from the AFC Champions League Two preliminary round with a 4-1 loss to India’s East Bengal, drew in three matches, and lost to Al-Jahra in the league, accumulating only three points and slipping to a low position in the standings.
Montenegrin Zlatko Petkovic, the former Al-Qadsiah coach, has emerged as the top candidate for the replacement, following his success in building a new team for Al-Ahly and developing several young players, before Tunisian Nabil Maaloul successfully took over the task. It is worth noting that Petkovic led Al-Qadsiah to the runners-up position in the first edition of the Gulf Champions League.
Al-Arabi Club Board of Directors Chairman Abdulaziz Ashour is expected to decide the fate of the technical staff within hours, whether by hiring Petkovic, Mohamed Abdel-Nabi, or renewing confidence in Sablic, given the tight schedule ahead of the Asian tournament where Al-Arabi will face Syria’s Al-Hamra, Tajikistan’s Istiklol, and Lebanon’s Nejmeh on October 17, 20, and 23.
