JEDDAH, 31 October 2006 — Al-Ittihad club will officially complain to the disciplinary committee at the Saudi Football Federation against the red card to Ittihad defender Hamad Al-Muntasheri during the Ittihad-Hilal match on Sunday, which ended 2-1 in favor of Hilal. Hamad Al-Sanei, manager of Ittihad football, said that the red card was unfair and that it was a mistake that should be corrected. He urged the committee to review the match tape and carefully examine the incident in which the defender was red carded. He said that the loss hardly affected the team as they are still in the early stage of the Saudi football league.

Hilal Players Each Get SR10,000 Reward

RIYADH, 31 October 2006 — Al-Hilal club management is shelling out SR10,000 cash for each player as a reward for winning the match against Ittihad. Of the total amount, SR5,000 came from the club kitty and another SR5,000 from each of the honorary members of the club who pitched in to raise the bonus money. Meanwhile, Wehda club gave its players SR2,000 each after the good performance in the match against Al-Hazem on Sunday, which ended 5-2 for Wehda. Jamal Al-Tunsi, president of Wehda club, said the win gave the team a confidence boost and the cash incentive will encourage the players to do more.

Ahli Unhappy With Coach

JEDDAH, 31 October 2006 — Talks are rife Al-Ahli club soccer coach Nebusha is on the way out. The Ahli management is unhappy with the team’s performance under Nebusha, according to a Madinah newspaper report. The names being floated to replace Nebusha are French coach Henri Michel and ex-Ahli coach Brazilian Falameer. The poor performance against Faisali on Saturday in Jeddah was said to trigger the decision to let go of Nebusha. Also, the deputy president at Ahli Club, Abdullah Al-Belushi, held a meeting with Serbian striker Medraj to discuss the termination of his contract with the club. Al-Belushi said the player has failed to live up to the clubs’ expectations in matches he played in, and the last straw was the goalless draw against Faisali. Many Ahli fans are also calling for management to sack another Serbian player Darco for his substandard performance.