JEDDAH, 27 April 2007 — Popular Saleh Al-Qarni, the president of Al-Ittihad cheering squad, says he expects Ittihad to outplay Al-Ahli 4-1 today in the final. He is no more beating the drums than any another diehard Ittihad fan does when the Jeddah Tigers are on the prowl.

But he also has a word of caution that the team that controls not only the play on the field but their tempers would win eventually.

“The club has provided the players with a supporting and encouraging atmosphere and they are ready hopefully,” he told Arab News yesterday.

Al-Qarni, who makes frequent visits to the club, said the players looked relaxed and are in excellent shape to beat Ahli. “The Tigers have awakened and will clinch this cup,” he said. (Tigers are the fond handle for Ittihad because the colors are black and yellow stripes, something akin to the tigers’ skin).

He said Mohammed Ameen, who underwent a surgery, and goalkeeper Tyseer Al-Nateif, who was injured in the team’s last encounter with Al-Ittifaq, are nonstarters. But even without them the competitive rivalry between the two clubs promises a great match, Al-Qarni said, adding it is going to be a tough and interesting match between these two old glorious clubs.

On his role as a leader of Ittihad’s support group, Al-Qarni’s says it is encouragement from the fans that inspire our players. “My role is beyond just singing and creating new Ittihad songs,” he says. That is why he comes to the stadium few hours before the match, so he can prepare the spectators with his new songs, and advise them to enjoy the game and its inherent rivalries without resorting to any violence. He said that he had created three new songs for the event, and the third would be sung if Ittihad wins.

Al-Qarni also called on the players to keep their decorum and present a good image of Saudi football with true sportsmanship.

“There is no need for a player to express his happiness near the rival team’s fans’ area. They should not ruin the spirit of the game with gamesmanship.”

Hassan Murea, head of the official Ahli fan support group, said that he and his group are ready for tonight’s match. For more than a week now we have been meeting on a daily basis at the club premises preparing new songs that we will be singing at the match to egg our players on, he said.

Ahli fans are ideal and have good knowledge of the game, he said, adding we have confidence in our players despite passing through rough times in the past and we are not going to ask of them something that is beyond their capabilities.

“To win a tournament is great, to win against Ittihad is even better and Ahli is capable of that,” he said.

He said that he is all for punishing fans who create chaos. Commenting on the last match that Ittihad won against Ahli, he said that we one a tournament while they beat us in a league match and he rounded off by saying that if the Ittihadis think that Nur is Ittihad, then Ahli is made up of 11 players.