Kazma signs German Knoll... and faces Al-Wa'ab
Al-Kuwait Club’s football team is set to play its first friendly match during its training camp in Izmir, Turkey, in preparation for the new season, when it faces Qatar’s Al-Wakrah SC tomorrow evening, Thursday.
The technical staff, led by Serbian coach Dragan Tadić, aims to maximize the benefits of the match by closely assessing the players’ levels, particularly the newcomers, as the rest of the squad has already been under his supervision last season and their capabilities are well known.
The team began its training sessions in Izmir last Monday, marking the start of the camp, which will run until August 14.
Al-Kuwait faces several key commitments in the upcoming season, most notably its participation in the Gulf Club Champions Cup.
The club’s management previously announced the signing of German striker Krolis Knoll (28), who joins from Saudi club Al-Taawoun.
Knoll plays as a striker and made 31 appearances for his former club, scoring 17 goals and providing five assists.
He also underwent trials in Europe with youth academies of Mainz, Hamburg, and Nuremberg, as well as with Croatian clubs, most recently with NK Osijek in the second division.
Knoll becomes Al-Kuwait’s fifth foreign player, joining Senegalese Amath Ndao and Brazilian Patrick Robson, who arrived this summer, along with Yemeni Nasser Mohammedwah and Algerian Idriss Chaibi, who are returning from last season.
The club also renewed the contracts of other players, including international Nasser Al-Fahad and Mohammed Anwar, while former captain Nasser Al-Faraj left the squad.
In a statement, Lakhder expressed his happiness at joining Al-Qadsiah, describing it as “a great club spoken of by history and a club of titles.”
He added, “I hope to add value to the team, help my teammates, and live up to the trust placed in me.”
Meanwhile, Nigerian expatriate Gabriel Orok remains awaiting his visa to enter Turkey so he can join the team’s preparations at the camp.
In a separate development, Al-Salmiya Club confirmed that there are no obstacles preventing it from registering its new players on its official roster for the upcoming season.
The club stated on its official website that current rumors are “old issues that have already been settled, and the claim that Al-Salmiya is unable to register players is baseless.”
It further added, “All three old cases have been resolved. We announce the signing of Congolese defender Trezor Chibwawawa from the South African league, who will be registered along with other foreign players at the beginning of next week.”
