Al-Khateeb... Kuwait's Coach
Kuwait Awaits the Gulf Cup Draw... Al-Salmiya Extends Al-Aswad’s Contract for Two Seasons
Hassan Musa
Kuwait announced the signing of Syrian coach Feras Al-Khatib to lead the team in the new season, replacing Portuguese manager Alexandre Santos.
The signing of Al-Khatib, who managed Al-Fahaheel for the past four seasons, comes just two days before the start of the Zain League Premier Division.
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Santos was appointed last July, replacing Montenegrin coach Nebojsa Jovovic, who had managed the team for the previous two seasons.
Meanwhile, the participation of Al-Arabi’s Nigerian professional Anabo Iwuala in tomorrow’s match against Kuwait in the first round of the league remains uncertain.
Iwuala suffered an injury during Al-Arabi’s match against Indian side East Bengal, which prevented him from completing the game played on August 12 in the playoff for qualification to the AFC Champions League Two, a match the “Green Team” lost 1-4.
In a separate development, Al-Salmiya has renewed the contract of Syrian professional Mahmoud Al-Aswad for two seasons.
Al-Salmiya (“The Sky Blues”) will begin their Premier Division campaign against Al-Nassr the day after tomorrow, Wednesday, in the first round of the competition.
In related news, Kazma is awaiting the draw for the Gulf Club Champions Cup, which will be held today at the headquarters of the Gulf Football Association in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Twelve clubs will participate in the draw for the first time in the history of the Gulf competition, marking the largest participation since the tournament’s inception, as the previous two editions featured only eight clubs. The group stage will be played in a two-legged home-and-away league format, with matches starting on October 13.
The participating clubs have been divided into four tiers, with three clubs in each tier, based on the Asian Football Confederation’s club ranking for the 2026/2027 season. Tier One includes Saudi clubs Al-Ittihad and Al-Neom, and UAE’s Al-Nassr. Tier Two comprises UAE’s Ajman and Qatari clubs Al-Duhail and Qatar SC. Tier Three features Iraqi club Erbil, Iraqi Al-Zawraa, and Omani Al-Shabab. Tier Four includes Bahrain’s Riffa, Kuwait’s Kazma, and Yemen’s Shabab Hadhramaut.
The teams will be distributed into three groups, each containing four clubs, with the rule that no two clubs from the same country can be placed in the same group. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals, along with the two best third-placed teams across the three groups. The round of eight will be played in a home-and-away format.
