Al-Huwaidi: Kuwait national team squad was pre-prepared
Amman3 min read
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Former top scorer Jassem Al-Huwaidi criticized the selection process for the Kuwait national team squad that will participate in the Arabian Gulf Cup (Gulf Cup 27), scheduled to start in Saudi Arabia on September 23, considering it to be "pre-prepared."
The former Kuwait national team captain and head of football operations at Al-Salmiya Club stated that announcing the preparation program before revealing the players' names raises questions about the technical staff's role in the selection process.
Al-Huwaidi, who won the Gulf Cup title twice with Kuwait, told Agence France-Presse (AFP): "The list was pre-prepared, and the proof is that the team's preparation program was announced before the players' names were revealed. When that happens, it means things were arranged before the list was announced."
Al-Huwaidi (53) criticized some of the choices made by the technical staff led by Portuguese coach Hélio Sousa, noting that his son, Mohammed Al-Huwaidi, and Fawaz Ayed, both Al-Salmiya players, had delivered remarkable performances in the first three rounds of the league and, in his view, deserved to be with the national team.
He explained, "Selecting some players despite them not participating in any match raises questions, because the coach is supposed to choose based on what he has seen on the pitch and the players' level during matches."
The Kuwaiti national team is currently holding a training camp in the Qatari capital, Doha, which began on Wednesday. It includes a friendly match against Qatar's Lusail today, before heading to Jeddah on September 15 to continue preparations until the start of the tournament, with a friendly match against the Yemeni national team scheduled for the 18th.
The draw for Gulf Cup 27 placed Kuwait in Group A alongside Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Oman. "Al-Azraq" will begin its campaign by facing the Saudi national team, while Group B includes Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, and Yemen.
Al-Huwaidi believes that Kuwait's task will not be easy: "The three teams have great experience in the tournament, so the Kuwaiti team needs great focus to compete for qualification" to the semi-finals.
Al-Huwaidi tipped the Saudi national team to win the title, saying, "The Saudi team remains one of the strongest teams in the region, even if it is not at the same level it was in previous years."
He added: "Saudi Arabia has distinguished players and great experience in such tournaments, and I believe it is capable of reaching the final match and competing strongly for the title."
Regarding Kuwait's chances, Al-Huwaidi said: "Al-Azraq can compete, but it must take advantage of every match and deal with the tournament differently, because the Gulf Cup has its own calculations, and the differences between the teams are often limited."
