Gulf Cup

I am not surprised that the Kuwaiti public is cheering for the Kuwait national team at the Gulf Cup held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but I am surprised by those who fail to accept the sporting decline of Kuwaiti football, especially since I belong to a generation that was accustomed to Kuwait winning the Gulf Cup since its inception in 1970, before the participation of the Iraqi and Yemeni national teams was added to the tournament.

When you are at the top and then fall behind, it does not happen by chance. Rather, there is a series of administrative and technical issues, in addition to the development of other sister countries in football and in all other fields, making them more competitive.

I am not shocked by the Kuwait national football team’s elimination from the Gulf Cup, because we did not deserve to win, despite some positive aspects that cannot be denied. In short, “we are not worth the trouble.”

Being at the top at some point did not happen out of nowhere. There was a comprehensive renaissance in Kuwait across all fields, reflected in the impact of oil wealth on the details of life, achieving qualitative leaps in education, health, infrastructure, modern housing, and culture in its broad sense, which included visual arts, singing, theater, and journalism. We must not forget the role of Kuwaiti Arab and non-Arab guest experts, who contributed significantly to the development of Kuwaiti society.

Know that if you look in the mirror and believe you are beautiful “in your own way,” you must not ignore that people’s eyes see you and realize that you are no longer beautiful. No matter how many cosmetic surgeries, facelifts, and makeup applications you undergo, your sagging will remain obvious. You will hear whispers and shouts from here and there, either out of schadenfreude or to call for reform from those who care. This is the situation of the sports public, which is wracked with pain over the level of the Kuwaiti national football team.

Yes, everyone knows that there are problems and disputes within the sports community, as well as some legal obstacles, which have been overcome, given that the Kuwait Football Association was suspended twice in the past.

Yes, there are problems and disputes among Kuwaiti sports figures, and some disagreements between sports clubs have reflected, one way or another, on the reality of football in Kuwait. Some media outlets were also parties to these disputes through certain sports program presenters on television and radio. Indeed, these disputes reached the corridors of courts and the National Assembly in previous years.

Yes, we must reject these disputes and work together for the advancement of Kuwaiti football. The first step is for us to be honest with ourselves in order to revive Kuwaiti football, and indeed Kuwaiti sports in general.

Most importantly, we must return to “scouting,” whether in schools or on the streets, where play in various areas of Kuwait is far removed from sports clubs and youth centers. How many outstanding players have failed to find a way to present their talents to a sports club? Is the paper on which the scout who discovered “Messi” as a young child wrote his notes still kept at Barcelona FC? We do not know how many goals the player Faisal Al-Dakhil scored for his club and the national team, as a Qadsia fan told me, and I do not know the accuracy of that information.

To be more precise, I prefer that a national coach be appointed, one who is capable of being close to and firm with young players. This is especially important because some players behave on and off the pitch as if they were “Maradona,” whereas Kuwaiti stars such as Jasim Yaqoub, Abdulaziz Al-Anbari, Mahboub Juma, and others were far more modest, even when they were playing stars, and their modesty continued after their retirement. There are several outstanding national coaches whose expertise can be utilized, with Mohammed Ibrahim at the forefront, without focusing on his affiliation with Al-Qadsia Sports Club.

Moreover, some Kuwait national team players suffer from a lack of physical fitness, as was the case during the 8th Gulf Cup held in the Kingdom of Bahrain in 1986, when the Kuwait Football Association was suspended. Despite that, the team returned and Kuwait won the Gulf Cup. In contrast, today those in charge of preparing the team acted as if they were unaware of the Gulf Cup’s start date, and the lack of fitness was evident among some of the young players. Meanwhile, Yousif Nasser, who was in his mid-thirties, played as if he were a young man, “with a cool eye on him.”

Football is a collective effort involving the coach, the management, the players, the fans, and the media. Any imbalance negatively affects the team’s level, regardless of how many stars it includes. There are also tactical issues in managing time, as we lost the match in the final seconds, reflecting a lack of understanding of how to handle match time—indeed, a deficiency in football culture. Players must compete with enthusiasm and seriousness until the final whistle. We must also address the confusion and excessive ball-holding by some players, because the ball should be shared among more than one player. Furthermore, certain technical-tactical aspects were catastrophic, both in defense and attack, while our defensive midfield role has completely disappeared, leaving the Kuwait national team playing without identity.

Indeed, the prominence of young stars has faded in recent Gulf Cup editions, whereas Kuwaiti national team stars used to shine brightly in the skies of the Arab Gulf Cup tournaments. We must work to prepare a national team full of young talent, while also listening to former players to chart a roadmap for the future of Kuwaiti football.