JEDDAH, 14 December 2002 — Star-studded Italian club AC Milan will be taking part in Jeddah club Al-Ittihad’s 75th anniversary celebrations with a friendly match on Jan. 5, 2003. The AC Milan team, which will arrive here on Jan. 3, includes Brazilian Rivaldo, Italians Paolo Maldini and Filippo Inghazi, and Ukrainian striker Chechenko. AC Milan were contacted by the organizers after their earlier plans to invite Juventus fell through. Meanwhile, Ittihad have intensified their training in preparation for their King Fahd Cup tournament match against Al-Ta’ie on Monday in Jeddah. Ittihad, who had to sweat it out against Al-Raid in their last match to sustain their lead in the event, are practicing to turn in a better display against Ta’ie. In Dammam, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon drew 1-1 in a friendly match held at the Prince Mohammed ibn Fahd Stadium yesterday. The match was part of the preparation for the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd tournament for the Arab Cup, which opens in Kuwait on Monday. Mohammed Shalhoub scored for the Kingdom in 17th minute of the game while Mohammed Halo secured the equalizer for Lebanon in 23rd minute of the second half.
