'A Fiery Start'
Kuwait launches “defense” campaign against Al-Arabi in the start of the 65th edition of the league... Qadsia hosts Fehaily
By Hassan Musa
The Zain League Premier Division, in its 65th edition, features a fiery and high-stakes clash as Kuwait SC hosts defending champions Al-Arabi at Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium at 6:45 PM today. Meanwhile, Qadsia SC will face Fehaily SC at Naif Al-Dabous Stadium at 9:00 PM.
The round continues tomorrow with two matches: Al-Shabab SC will play against Al-Jahra SC at Al-Ahmadi Stadium 1 at 6:45 PM, while Al-Salmiya SC will take on Al-Nasr SC at Thamer Stadium at 9:00 PM. The round will conclude the day after tomorrow with Al-Sahel SC hosting Salibikhaet SC at Abdullah Al-Khalifa Stadium at 6:45 PM, and Kazma SC facing Al-Tadamun SC at Al-Sadaqa Wa Al-Salam Stadium at 9:00 PM.
Opening Day Summit
In the most prominent match of the opening round, the veteran club Kuwait SC begins its campaign to defend the title it has won in the last five seasons, an unprecedented achievement. The team is armed with outstanding local players and has maintained stability among its foreign players, with the exception of Brazilian Carlos Vinicius, who replaced Ivorian Idrissa Dombuya.
The “Whites” also bolstered their squad with the local trio of Salman Al-Awadi, Hassan Hamdan, and Abdullah Al-Qarzaei, all of whom previously represented Al-Arabi in past seasons.
Al-Arabi and the Middle East
Astrology
The team is led by Syrian coach Firas Al-Khatib, whom Kuwait SC signed the day before yesterday as a replacement for Portuguese coach Alexandre Santos, who had guided the team during the preparation period that began last month through a training camp held in London, the UK capital.
Al-Khatib possesses extensive experience in local football, having played for Al-Nasr, Qadsia, Kuwait, Al-Arabi, and Al-Salmiya before retiring and moving into coaching. He managed Fehaily SC for the last four seasons.
On the other side, Al-Arabi seeks a strong start under the guidance of Croatian coach Goran Sablic, who failed to overcome Indian side East Bengal in the playoff for qualification to the AFC Champions League Two, losing 1-4. This defeat led the team to compete in the AFC Challenge League.
Although the participation of the team’s Nigerian star Anabo Iyawa remains unclear, the “Green” squad is filled with experienced local and foreign players capable of achieving a satisfactory result.
In the second match, Qadsia SC, led by its new-old coach Mohammed Ibrahim, aims to secure its first victory in the competition and make a suitable start to compete for the title, which has been absent from the club’s trophy cabinet for a long time.
On the other side, Fehaily SC, which parted ways with Syrian coach Firas Al-Khatib after four years, seeks better results in the new season under the leadership of Slovak coach Martin Seveila, who is undergoing his first coaching experience in the Gulf region.
Kuwait SC
Coach:
Firas Al-Khatib (Syria)
Foreign Players:
Yassine El Khannouss (Tunisia)
Mohammed Marhoum (Bahrain)
Arsen “Malk” Zoula (Congo)
Carlos Vinicius (Brazil)
Mahdi Barhuma (Morocco)
Last Season’s Position: First
Al-Arabi SC
Coach:
Goran Sablic (Croatia)
Foreign Players:
Jawhar Rasoul (Senegal)
Leonardo Sheldon and Lucas Chalon (Brazil)
Ayanu Iyawa (Nigeria)
Zaid Qanbar (Palestine)
Kenan Malinko (Ethiopia)
Last Season’s Position: Second
Qadsia SC
Coach:
Mohammed Ibrahim
Foreign Players:
Hamza Khaba and Youcef Lkhadher (Morocco)
Abdulrahman Al-Mashfari (Oman)
Gabriel Orok (Nigeria)
Cédric Gboho (Ivory Coast)
Last Season’s Position: Third
Kazma SC
Coach:
Dragan Tadić (Croatia)
Professionals:
Idris Shabbi (Algeria)
Torles Knoll (Germany)
Nasser Mohammedwah (Yemen)
Patrick Robson (Brazil)
Amaath Ndiaw (Senegal)
Last Season’s Position: Fourth
Al-Salmiya
Coach:
Ali Ashour (Bahrain)
Professionals:
Trezor Chibiwapwa (Congo)
Shahzod Azimdinov (Uzbekistan)
Abdullah Youssef (Bahrain)
Mahmoud Al-Aswad (Syria)
David Sampsisa (Gabon)
Last Season’s Position: Fifth
Al-Fahaheel
Coach:
Martin Sevilla (Slovakia)
Professionals:
Alvin Fortes (Cape Verde)
Vitor Vieira and Carlos Bruno (Brazil)
Gatous Banoum (Ethiopia)
Ranga Chevafero (South Africa)
Last Season’s Position: Sixth
Al-Nasr
Coach:
Dhahir Al-Adwani
Professionals:
Hazem Hajj (Tunisia)
Moriba Diarra (Mali)
Abdulrahman Koko (Sudan)
Ayman Lkjaaj (Algeria)
Sidi Yacoub (Mauritania)
Last Season’s Position: Seventh
Al-Tadamun
Coach:
Igor Rimech (Bosnia)
Professionals:
Jonathan Bamba and Zakaria Slimani (France)
Pedro Machado (Portugal)
Ahmed Al-Daly (Syria)
Afolabi Okiki (Nigeria)
Last Season’s Position: Eighth
Al-Shabab
Coach:
Wagner Andreiad (Brazil)
Professionals:
Marcus Lima, Matheus Toto, Marcus Martinelli, Giovanni Silva, and Michel Angel (Brazil)
Last Season’s Position: Ninth
Al-Jahra
Coach:
Ahmed Abdul-Karim
Professionals:
Cherest Eflana and Takamba Nasam (Cameroon)
Marcus Ramos and Rorima Mont Lucinio (Brazil)
Evans Embowo (Ghana)
Last Season’s Position: Tenth
Al-Salmiya
Coach:
Antonio Miranda (Portugal)
Professionals:
Weslley Santos, Daniel Silva, Elson Pepe, Bruno Dominguez (Brazil)
Christian Erbizu (Portugal)
Last Season’s Position: First Division Champions
Al-Sahel
Coach:
Ali Abdul-Razzaq
Professionals:
Mauricio Oliveira, Alan De Souza, Lucas Araujo, Cliton De Jesus, and Joao Mora (Brazil)
Last Season’s Position: First Division Runners-up
4 out of 12
The current edition features four local coaches heading the technical staff out of a total of 12 coaches: Mohamed Ibrahim (Al-Qadsia), Ahmed Abdul-Karim (Al-Jahra), Dhahir Al-Adwani (Al-Nasr), and Ali Abdul-Razzaq (Al-Sahel).
This proportion is significantly better than that of the previous edition of the tournament, which saw the absence of any national coach, except for coach Nasser Al-Shatti, who led Al-Salmiya in the first round of the competition, before both parties mutually terminated their association after Al-Samawi’s first match in the tournament.
The current edition includes two Arab coaches: Syrian Firas Al-Khatib (Al-Kuwait Club) and Bahraini Ali Ashour (Al-Salmiya Club).
The tournament also sees six coaches continuing for a second season: those of Kazma, Al-Salmiya, Al-Tadamun, Al-Sahel, Al-Salmiya, and Al-Jahra. Meanwhile, coaches have returned to lead other teams, namely Al-Qadsia, Al-Kuwait, and Al-Nasr. Additionally, coaches from Al-Fahaheel, Al-Arabi, and Al-Shabab are making their debut in Kuwait.
