JEDDAH, 1 June — Perhaps the biggest challenge for Saudi football players this year, is to flatter the spectators, strut their stuff, and win the hearts and minds of locals on an international scale.
The Saudi football team has come a long way. The question is, how well will they perform in the 2002 World Cup?
Arwa S., a Saudi businesswoman has not paid attention to the World Cup tournament but thinks the Saudi team should coordinate collectively in the field rather than depending solely on “two or three players to win,” she said.
Farah Serafi, a junior at King Abdul Aziz University, is more involved in sports and supports the Saudi team, although “Morocco plays better,” she admitted. At least the Saudis will play better than they did in 1994, Serafi clarified, because learning experience is a plus, and playing with innovative tactics is a must.
Seham M. also a student at King Abdul Aziz University does not understand why all the hype should go into football. If women played in the tournament, she argued, then females would take more interest in the game. She is hopeful though, that the Saudi team will do a better job this year, because, in her words: “The coach makes the difference.”
Indeed, in 1998, Saudi Arabia failed to reach the second round in France, an unsuccessful attempt prompted by a series of foreign managers, who, according to Seham “did not understand the Saudi culture and spirit as well as a native would have”.
Mustafa Banajah, a businessman, also agrees. The fact that this year’s coach is Nasir Al-Jowhar, a Saudi, will also help forge stronger ties, remove language barriers, and expand cultural understanding, he explained.
“The Saudi team will do better this year if it wins its way into the second round,” Banajah said. Although the team is strong on an individual level, he explained, “they are weak in the defense”.
“All the players are young and fresh,” Banajah said. The players want to establish themselves in their football career and are also full of energy.
Seham M. on the other hand, argued that what matters most is the players’ physical strength. “The Saudi team is physically weak, so players should tone up. Compare them to the British team, for example, and you’ll see vast differences.”
But in an interview, Prince Turki ibn Khalid, head of the national team delegation,said: “I wouldn’t consider us the weakest of our group. Perhaps we are not as physical as Cameroon, Germany and Ireland but we don’t plan to play their way...We have other strengths which will give us the edge.”
The mood of the people however, seems to have slightly changed, as I asked some of them about their support for the national team. Interestingly, many Saudis simply loved to watch a good game of football and supported those who play the game well. Across the Arab world, and internationally, Argentines are among the top favorites in this year’s tournament. In fact, one Saudi told me this: “I do not support any one country. I support the players who make me feel good when they perform their best on the field.”
Not so for Samar, a secretary, as I asked her how she felt about Saudi Arabia joining the World Cup tournament. She replied in astonishment: “Is Saudi Arabia really playing this year? I didn’t know.” It became immediately clear to me that she was the least bit interested in football.
Indeed, some women even despised the entire game altogether.
Ghada Addas, a teacher, told me that although her family loved to watch a game of football, she had better interests than “watching men run after a ball.”
Love it or hate it, the World Cup is remain under the spotlight until the end of the month. Good luck to the players. May the best team win!
