JEDDAH, 30 November 2004 — Hussein Abdul Ghani, who is struggling with muscle injuries, has been excluded from Saudi Arabia’s squad for the upcoming Gulf Championship being held in Qatar in December.
Abdul Ghani, the left halfback and captain of Al-Ahli club, has been advised to take four weeks rest to recover.
Saudi Arabia’s new national soccer team coach former Argentine international, Gabriel Calderon, asked Abdul Ghani to leave the training camp on fitness grounds.
The news disappointed many of Abdul Ghani’s fans. He has been replaced by Al-Shabab’s striker Zaid Al-Muwallad.
Hussein arrived here after leaving the training camp in Dammam. “It is a big disappointment for me to miss such an important championship,” a depressed Abdul Ghani said.
“When we are going through a difficult time like this I could have played a big part, but to my bad luck I’m sitting on the bench.”
Hussein has been the driving force in the midfield and his absence is an even bigger setback, said Naif Abed, one of his avid fans.
“We were very optimistic because Hussein was back in the team after performing well in the Saudi League and the Arab Champions League.
“Unfortunately, he sustained the injury at a wrong time. We were very upset when he was expelled from the national team in the last Asian Cup and his absence changed the whole scenario.”
“In all positions, there are replacements, but Abdul Ghani cannot be replaced by anybody else,” said another fan.
“Saleh Al-Sagri of Ittihad could have been the best choice to replace Abdul Ghani, but he is also injured. However, we wish our team the best in the Gulf Cup,” said another fan.
