In Goal: Who Benefits from This Chaos?

I do not know what real benefit Kuwaiti football has gained, or is gaining, from the Ministries and Government Institutions League. Nor do I know what technical contribution this competition has made to the sport, such that it continues to exist in the form we see today, while our local competitions and national teams suffer from technical and physical problems that are obvious to everyone.

Perhaps the most important question is: What has this league offered Kuwaiti football? How many players has it discovered? How many talents has it refined? What genuine technical additions has it provided to clubs and national teams? The matter does not go beyond organizing matches, distributing trophies, and taking commemorative photos, after which the event ends without us knowing what Kuwaiti football and our sports in general have benefited from all of this.

I would stake my reputation over several decades that the number of participating players has not exceeded the fingers of two hands, or perhaps even just one. Therefore, we emphasize that the problem is not with employees playing football, nor with government institutions’ right to organize sports activities for their staff; this is a positive and desirable thing. Rather, the problem begins when these competitions become a arena where players bound by contracts with their clubs participate, carrying technical and physical obligations that expose them to the risk of injury and fatigue, and place their clubs in front of consequences they were not part of when the decision to participate was made. Technically, this does not differ much from “friendly” matches, which clubs strive to prevent their players from playing in, out of fear of injuries and fatigue, especially since a player may enter such matches with enthusiasm exceeding that for official games, freed from tactical and strategic commitments, as if he were playing football for the first time.

Perhaps the strangest aspect is that some players may find in these competitions an opportunity to breathe away from the pressures of job commitments, particularly on match days. Meanwhile, some entities, especially military ones, resort to implicit, if not direct, coercion to ensure player participation in their teams. This raises a legitimate question about the limits of an employer’s right to impose sports participation on an employee, and about the extent to which a player’s contractual obligations to his club are respected. Has participation transformed from a voluntary activity into an obligation that is difficult to refuse? If the goal is social and recreational, why not restrict participation to employees who are not players under contract with clubs? But if the goal is technical and competitive, then there should be clear standards that ensure no harm comes to clubs and players.

Then there is another, more embarrassing question: If these competitions are successful and productive in terms of football, why have we not seen a team representing them in the local league? The voices of officials from the Kuwait Football Association have grown hoarse as they urge relevant authorities to participate, but these appeals have not received the desired response. Do we want government competitions that serve Kuwaiti football, or parallel tournaments that drain players and compete with clubs for their services, while merely waving the slogan “Sport for All”?

We are not against employees playing football or pursuing their hobbies. We are against the game becoming a backdoor channel to deplete club players. But if we organize a championship, exhaust players, and then fail to convince their teams to enter the local league, then congratulations to us on this great administrative achievement: “A tournament exists, its benefit is unknown, and Kuwaiti football is the last to know.”