Binyan: Two Camps for 'Al-Azraq' in March and June
Mohammed Binyan clarifies the preparation program for the Kuwaiti national team and emphasizes integration with the technical staff.
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
The Kuwait national football team began its training sessions today, Monday, in preparation for friendly matches against Syria and Honduras, scheduled for November 13 and 17 at the Friendship and Peace Stadium within the Kazma Club, as part of the upcoming international “FIFA Days” window.
The first training session saw the participation of 28 players, while Mohammed Al-Huwaidi was absent after complaining of a bruise sustained during the Salmiya-Kazma league match; he is expected to resume training tomorrow.
As training commenced, Mohammed Baniyan, the general supervisor of the national team and former international star, stated that the preparation program for the “Blue Team” for the coming period would be announced in the coming days, following a meeting with the head coach. He also indicated the possibility of playing matches and holding an external training camp in March and June 2027 in preparation for the 2030 World Cup qualifiers, which begin in August.
Baniyan expressed his pride in the trust placed in him by the board of directors of the Kuwait Football Association, revealing that his acceptance came after several previous requests to take on the role, during which he had declined due to unsuitable circumstances.
He emphasized that he did not set any conditions for accepting the position, saying, “This is a national duty that does not come with preconditions, but I expressed my desire to know the scope of authority accompanying my work, which would enable me and my colleagues in the administrative staff to perform our duties as required.”
He added, “I requested that I have the authority to discuss matters with the coach and share my views regarding the team, and to convey technical opinions from analysts or the sports community to him.”
Baniyan denied that his presence would diminish the role of anyone in the technical staff, considering that everyone plays complementary roles to achieve the ultimate goal, which is the interest of the Kuwait national team.
The technical staff of the “Blue Team,” led by Portuguese coach Helio Sousa, had announced a list of 30 players for the gathering and internal training camp: Abdulwahab Al-Awadi, Khaled Sabah, Fahad Al-Hajri, Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, Khaled Al-Rashidi, Fawaz Al-Otaibi, Hamad Al-Sanousi, Saleh Al-Mahatab, Muath Al-Zafiri, Waleed Saad, Abdulaziz Mehran, Rashid Al-Dosari, Mohammed Al-Huwaidi, Ali Hassan, Ahmed Al-Zafiri, Nasser Falah, Abdullah Al-Qarazi, Abdullah Al-Saedi, Eid Al-Rashidi, Mubarak Al-Funayn, Bandar Al-Salama, Muath Al-Asime, Mehdi Dashti, Jasem Al-Mutairi, Yousef Majed, Mohammed Daham, Abdulrahman Al-Rashidi, Abdullah Al-Awadi, Yousef Nasser, and Shuaib Al-Khalidi.
The list saw the absence of several players who featured in the team’s last appearance at Gulf Cup 27, due to injuries, such as goalkeeper Saud Al-Houshan, defenders Yousef Al-Haqan and Mohsen Falah, and midfielder Khaled Al-Murshed, while Mohammed Daham later withdrew due to injury.
On the other hand, young goalkeeper Dhaeri Al-Otaibi returned to the list after a long absence, while Al-Jahra player Abdullah Al-Saedi and Tadhamon player Waleed Saad were called up for the first time.
The matches against Syria and Honduras were originally intended to be part of the penultimate preparation phase for the “Blue Team” ahead of the Asian Cup finals, which were scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia, before being postponed to 2028.
