JEDDAH, 10 November 2006 — With their mental disabilities it was not easy for them to claim the title and make their country proud. With all odds against them the Saudi National Football Team with Special Needs won the 4th Football World Cup for People with Disabilities in Leverkusen, Germany.

According to General Secretary of the Saudi Sport Federation for Special Needs Nassir Al-Salih, the only thing the players got while training for the World Cup was SR40 a day at the training camp in Dammam and SR80 a day while in Tunisia and Germany. “They are truly champions,” he said, adding, “But they have not been rewarded yet. Despite their mental disabilities, they live a poor life and yet work so hard to improve their living condition with whatever skill they could possibly make good use of.”

Referring to allegations by local newspapers of some of the players not really mentally disabled but were rather faking their disabilities, Al-Salih said, “They were not chosen haphazardly, they underwent tests and only those who were suitable were allowed to qualify to play and represent Saudi Arabia.”

Local newspapers have been writing reports about how the majority of these players are unemployed and are doing their best to provide incomes for their families. Omar Kasser, striker for the team, is unemployed and unable to support his family consisting of 19 members including his old father, reported the Al- Eqtisadiah daily on Sept. 30.

Kassar lives in a single story home with 19 other family members. “We need a larger house but cannot afford to buy one,” he said. Kassar along with his brother are both unemployed and live off the SR3,000 monthly pension his father Abdullah gets. Abdullah said, “I’m helpless and need my children to help me. Them being unemployed does not make things easy.” Abdullah is calling on businessmen to help his sons find jobs.

Majid Sheaan is the team’s goalkeeper and a clear example of the poor backgrounds many of the players come from.

Sheaan works as a taxi driver and has nine family members he is responsible for including a sickly mother whose medication is extremely expensive. “We only got SR2,000 when we won the final against Holland. Before that we were getting SR80 a day, SR400 for each game we won at the first round and SR800 for each game we won at the second round,” he said.

Sheaan added that when he returned from Germany he discovered that he owed the taxi renting company he worked for around SR 7, 000, which he had to pay from the money he was awarded while abroad.

After speaking about his critical living conditions, Sheaan praised the Saudi national team coach Abdulaziz Al-Khalid for his sympathy and encouragement to players while abroad, which has made a huge difference.

Speaking to Al- Eqtisadiah, Al-Khalid said that the players had shown a great deal of concern for their families.

“They kept saving the daily allowances they would get and send it to their families at the end of each week. Their living conditions did not affect their performance and everybody saw this. They were dedicated, punctual and highly patriotic. Their goal was to show the world they could do win the tournament regardless of their disabilities.”

Rami the brother of Abdullah Mahfouz, one of the team members, blamed society and the media for not giving the players a chance to prove themselves.

Though Mahfouz’s living conditions is better than many of his colleagues, he did not want to depend on his father for the rest of his life. He applied for jobs but failed to secure one in spite of possessing a certificate as a painter from a Vocational Institute.

Their requests became fruitful as some businessmen started to take the initiatives in helping and awarding them. Al-Salih said for example Khalid Al-Zamil, honorary member at Al-Qadisia Football Club, has awarded players with SR1 million.