SAPPORO, 31 May — Saudi Arabia’s spirited green eagles are in full fashion to surprise Germany in their opening encounter in the World Cup finals in Sapporo, Japan tomorrow.
The Saudis have already arrived in the eastern Japanese city of Sapporo for the crucial match with three-time World Cup champions after completing major training sessions at the Tokyo Stadium in Chofu.
Saudi Arabian players are determined to win the opening game to keep up their World Cup campaign.
“Our secret weapon is the Saudi attitude - our refusal to lose,” said Prince Turki ibn Khaled, the team manager.
“We consider the World Cup to be our stage to show the world our football and we have good faith in our players,” he said.
German football legend Franz Beckenbauer has already warned his side that it won’t be easy for them to defeat the Saudis.
Prince Turki adds: “I wouldn’t consider us the weakest of our group. Perhaps we are not as physical as Cameroon, Germany and Ireland but we don’t plan to play their way.”
“If the others want to beat Saudi Arabia then they will have to play at their best and Saudi Arabia at their worst,” he added.
Prince Nawaf ibn Faisal, deputy chief of the Youth Welfare Presidency, has commended the Saudi players’ morale and capabilities. “Everyone of them is in a good mood,” he told reporters after attending a training session. Saudi Arabia have proved to be the footballing giants of the Asian continent in recent years.
Qualification for Korea/Japan 2002 was the third consecutive time that the Gulf side had reached the World Cup finals.
In 1994 World Cup in the United States, they made history by becoming the first Asian team to reach the second round of the global soccer event.
Saudis have won the Asian Cup thrice in 1984, 1988 and 1996.
