JEDDAH, 17 September 2007 — After 11 years in charge of the Al-Ahli water polo program that saw him coach the boys, youth and senior teams, Serji is leaving the Kingdom for good and return to his native Serbia, where he looks forward to spending quality time with his family. He promised to look for his replacement in time for the new season. Ahli water polo official Fehir Al-Tayyeb offered Serji to renew his contract but the coach declined. Serji bade farewell to all the players he coached during his stint in the Kingdom.
Al-Mutawwa to Replace Aginello
JEDDAH, 17 September 2007 — Citing injury to Brazilian import Bruno Aginello, Al-Hilal requested the AFC to replace Aginello with Bader Al-Mutawwa of Al-Qadisia of Kuwait for the remaining matches in the Asian Champions League. This request was not without a precedent: Al-Wehda of UAE replaced the injured Himberto with Chico, who are both Brazilians. Hilal club honorary member Prince Rashid ibn Abdulaziz shoulder the expenses in hiring the services of the Kuwaiti player.
Wehda Ready for Djibouti Match
JEDDAH, 17 September 2007 — Though they lost against Al-Ittifaq in the Saudi Football League, Al-Wehda are confident of a good performance when they play their first away match against Djibouti in the Arab Champions League. The team travel to Djibouti today. Meanwhile, Wehda’s Dutch coach Ferslaan rued the 4-1 loss against saying “Our team tried to change the rhythm of the game and win but failed. However, we will try to learn from our mistakes and hopefully they will do better against Djibouti.”
Hilal Fans Get Free Ride
RIYADH, 17 September 2007 — Prince Rashid ibn Abdulaziz, Al-Hilal honorary member, announced he would sponsor the transport of the club’s fans from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi, UAE where Hilal meet Al-Wehda of UAE in the away game in the Asian Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday. Al-Hilal fans and subscribers at the club official website also offered financial support to transport the fans and the cheering group to UAE.
