RIYADH, 20 June — Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed, who has been asked by higher authorities to oversee the overall development of sports in the Kingdom, has set up a panel to study the present situation of sports in the country and make proposals to develop the sector.
The panel includes Khaled ibn Abdullah, former chairman Ahli Club, Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, chief of the Youth Welfare Presidency, Abdullah Al-Adel, undersecretary at the presidency for financial affairs, and Saud Al-Abdul Aziz, undersecretary for technical affairs.
Other members are: Ibrahim Afandi, a businessman and former chairman of Ittihad club, Muhammad Mufti, former chairman of Hilal club, Ahmad Al-Zamil, a businessman, and chairmen of the chambers of commerce and industry in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam and National Commercial Bank, Riyad Bank and Saudi American Bank.
Prince Abdullah, the regent, appointed Prince Abdul Majeed last Sunday to conduct the necessary studies to revamp the country’s sports sector after the national team’s poor performance at the World Cup soccer finals. The governor has already informed Prince Abdullah about the panel members whom he selected for the work.
The Saudi team was thrashed 8-0 by Germany in their opening World Cup encounter on June 1. Cameroon and Ireland also defeated the Saudi side in their Group E first round matches. The humiliating performance by the national team not only shocked the country’s soccer fans but also the government officials.
Prince Turki ibn Khaled, supervisor of the Saudi team, said the team’s technical and administrative wings would undergo complete overhauling by the Saudi Football Federation.
Prince Turki’s statement has been welcomed by football fans who wanted quick action to promote Saudi soccer’s international reputation.
A Saudi journalist emphasized the need for diversifying Saudi sports by promoting not only football but also other sports activities. Saudi athletes have displayed excellent performance at various global events. A number of Saudis have urged the presidency and business organizations to promote games like tennis, squash and boxing by encouraging their players.
Faisal Bakr has urged the Saudi Football Federation to review the present system of premier tournaments and adopt the system followed in countries, which have advanced in soccer. "The schedule of these tournaments puts a lot of pressure on players and prevents them from putting up good show," he added.
