Ashleigh Plumptre’s move to Al-Ittihad adds star power to Saudi Women’s Premier League

Ashleigh Plumptre’s move to Al-Ittihad adds star power to Saudi Women’s Premier League
Ashleigh Plumptre being welcomed by her new team-mates at Al-Ittihad. (X/@ittiladiesclub)
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Updated 15 September 2023
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Ashleigh Plumptre’s move to Al-Ittihad adds star power to Saudi Women’s Premier League

Ashleigh Plumptre’s move to Al-Ittihad adds star power to Saudi Women’s Premier League
  • The Nigeria international joins the Jeddah club ahead of the second edition of the top tier competition
  • Plumptre said: “I am excited to start this journey alongside some incredible human beings. My journey of stepping into more of myself continues … It’s more than football”

There was a sense of deja vu this week as a Saudi Arabia club went to the top tier of English football and signed one of the world’s best players.
Al-Ittihad have recruited Ashleigh Plumptre from Leicester City which means that one of the stars of the women’s game has made the switch from the home of the Foxes in England’s East Midlands to join the Tigers in the port of Jeddah.
With the 25-year-old on the radar of several big European clubs, the signing has whetted appetites for the second season of the Saudi Women’s Premier League which kicks off next month.
Plumptre is a former England youth international who switched allegiance to Nigeria and was one of the stars of the World Cup that ended last month with the Africans losing to England after a penalty shootout in the knockout stages.
“(I am) grateful to have signed for Al-Ittihad,” Plumptre reportedly said. “I am excited to start this journey alongside some incredible human beings. My journey of stepping into more of myself continues … It’s more than football.”
She joins a Jeddah club on the rise under coach Kelly Lindsay, the former US international who has managed the women’s teams of Afghanistan and Morocco. They have been busy in the transfer market. As well as the new Nigerian defender, there is Morocco’s Salma Amani — who helped the Atlas Lionesses not just become the first Arab team to play at the Women’s World Cup this summer but also to get to the knockout stage.
Former Swedish youth international Nor Mustafa, who arrived by the Red Sea from Scottish club Hibernian, means that the Tigers will be hoping to mount a title challenge this time after finishing fifth out of eight in the inaugural season. For the city of Jeddah to be home to both the male and female champions would be something special.
Fullback Bayan Sadagah is looking forward to continuing the progress already made. “I used to play for Jeddah Eagles and after the Saudi Women’s Pro League was created, our club was acquired by Al-Ittihad,” the defender said. “We were able to use their facilities and we were happy that we were finally being treated as professionals and this really pushed us to be more ambitious. We push ourselves to become better.”
That is the plan for the new season but taking the title from Al-Nassr will not be easy. The Riyadh team are the ones to beat with stars including Lina Boussaha, a former French youth international who played for Paris Saint-Germain before sustaining a serious injury. Her career is now back on track in Saudi Arabia.
Even the newly-promoted teams are ambitious. Al-Qadsia have former Benfica coach Luis Andrade.
“We are aiming to be competitive in the Premier League,” Andrade said as he arrived in the east of the country in August. “We know that we have a lot of work to do but we are not just there to make up the numbers.”
The numbers are improving and there are plans to expand the top tier to 10 teams from next year. Interestingly, there are 30 sides in the second division which is divided into regional groups of six. At the end of the season there will be playoffs with three teams coming up and one going down.
Compared to other Asian powerhouses such as China and especially Japan, there is a determination to try and catch up as quickly as possible and the progress made in a short time has been impressive.
In 2019, the women’s department at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation was established. A year later, came the Women’s Community Football League and then the Regional Women’s League in 2021. The Premier League launched in 2022, the same year that the national women’s team played their first-ever international game, defeating the Seychelles 2-0. They now have a FIFA ranking.
There is, of course, a bid to host the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup. If that is successful, it would be a huge boost to the game in the country but even if not, there is a plan to qualify to the tournament for the first time.
The 2027 World Cup may be a little too early but with 32 teams participating and the likes of the Philippines and Vietnam making the 2023 edition, there is always hope. There are now more than 50,000 schoolgirls playing football, over 1,000 female coaches and regional training centers where the best talent get the best coaching. The development is continuing at a rapid speed.
First though, is the new season. The objective is that this is better than last year in terms of the quality of play and the interest off the pitch. That remains to be seen but the early signs and the early signings such as Plumptre are very promising.


Ronaldo targets first AFC Champions League goals for Al-Nassr against Istiklol

Ronaldo targets first AFC Champions League goals for Al-Nassr against Istiklol
Updated 02 October 2023
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Ronaldo targets first AFC Champions League goals for Al-Nassr against Istiklol

Ronaldo targets first AFC Champions League goals for Al-Nassr against Istiklol
  • The Portuguese legend is the record goalscorer of the UEFA Champions League with 140

Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo will look to get his AFC Champions League goalscoring account up and running on Monday night when the Riyadh giants welcome Istiklol of Tajikistan to Al-Awwal Park in the second round of matches in Group E.

The Portuguese legend is the all-time record goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League with 140, in a career that saw him win the competition once with Manchester United and four times with Real Madrid.

The match will be Ronaldo’s third in Asia’s premier club competition, having taken part in a successful qualifier against Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai, and on Group E Matchday 1 against Persepolis of Iran, which Al-Nassr won 2-0.

Ronaldo is currently the top scorer in the Roshn Saudi League with 10 goals, four ahead of his nearest challengers, after eight rounds of matches.


Neymar unhappy over state of pitch in Iran ahead of Al-Hilal AFC Champions League game

Neymar unhappy over state of pitch in Iran ahead of Al-Hilal AFC Champions League game
Updated 02 October 2023
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Neymar unhappy over state of pitch in Iran ahead of Al-Hilal AFC Champions League game

Neymar unhappy over state of pitch in Iran ahead of Al-Hilal AFC Champions League game
  • Footage was shared to X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday of Nassaji groundskeepers laying thin strips of turf over what appeared to be vast areas of exposed concrete

LONDON: Brazilian superstar Neymar is reportedly unhappy with the state of the pitch ahead of Al-Hilal’s AFC Champions League clash with Iran’s Nassaji Mazandaran.

Footage posted Sunday on X showed Nassaji groundskeepers laying thin strips of turf over what appeared to be vast areas of exposed concrete — only three days before the match.

Neymar was quoted as saying: “This is not possible.” And added facepalm and crying-with-laughter emojis.

Some fans took to the platform to warn the Brazilian against taking part in the match.

“Neymar don’t risk it bro, that pitch looks like a death trap,” one wrote. Another simply said: “Welcome to Iran, Neymar.”

The former Paris Saint-Germain striker signed a two-year, $98 million deal with the Riyadh club in August, after six years with the French champions.

Al-Hilal began the defense of their AFC Champions League title with a 1-1 draw at home against Uzbek side Navbahor last month.


Al-Ittihad ready for AFC Champions League challenge, coach says

Al-Ittihad ready for AFC Champions League challenge, coach says
Updated 01 October 2023
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Al-Ittihad ready for AFC Champions League challenge, coach says

Al-Ittihad ready for AFC Champions League challenge, coach says
  • Pressure ‘will not be an obstacle to us delivering the expected performance,’ Nuno Santo says
  • Saudi team will play Iranian side Sepahan in Isfahan on Monday night

JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad coach Nuno Santo said a spate of injuries and a crowded fixture list would not prevent his team putting up a strong performance in the second round of the AFC Champions League.

The Jeddah giants play Iranian side Sepahan in Isfahan on Monday night.

“We have a big match against a good and organized team, and I personally know their coach,” the Portuguese told a press conference.

“We are currently working on preparing the players through recovery due to the proximity of match dates. We are suffering from the continuous absence of players due to injuries and we are constantly working on finding solutions,” he said.

“We have exceptional players and the pressure of the matches will not be an obstacle to us delivering the expected performance.”

Santo made special reference to the quality of his goalkeepers.

“Goalkeeping at Al-Ittihad is exceptional, with the presence of two great goalkeepers and this year we acquired the experienced Abdullah Al-Mayouf, who has a great track record in this tournament.”


Al-Ahli and Ettifaq goalless despite ex-Liverpool legends

Al-Ahli and Ettifaq goalless despite ex-Liverpool legends
Updated 01 October 2023
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Al-Ahli and Ettifaq goalless despite ex-Liverpool legends

Al-Ahli and Ettifaq goalless despite ex-Liverpool legends

RIYADH: While nine-man Liverpool were unlucky to lose to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in the English Premier League, in the big game of the Roshn Saudi League, there were a number of ex-Liverpool legends in action as Al-Ahli drew 0–0 at home to Ettifaq. 

As the clash — not as dramatic as the one that took place in London — kicked-off, Ettifaq were in fifth with 16 points from seven games, a point and a place above Al-Ahli. In terms of positions, that’s where they stayed after the stalemate. A win would have taken Ettifaq just a point — or two in the case of Ahli — behind league leaders Al-Hilal after eight games of the season. As it is, both are within touching distance of pole position.

The fact that this was such an eagerly-awaited clash was  a measure of how far both have come since last season. The visitors Ettifaq may have finished seventh in May but were just nine points clear of the relegation zone and 22 behind third place. At the same time, Al-Ahli were in  the second tier and fighting for promotion, a struggle that was ultimately successful. Much has changed in the months since. Finishing in first is unlikely but both have ambitions of a top four spot.

So far this campaign the men from Dammam have been revitalised under head coach Steven Gerrard and they are now four games unbeaten in the league. His fellow former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is still playing in midfield alongside Gini Wijnaldum, also with the Reds as they became champions of Europe in 2019. 

On the opposite side in Jeddah was another Anfield legend in Roberto Firmino. The Brazilian now leads the line at Al-Ahli along with former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez and Allan Saint-Maximin, who arrived in Jeddah from Newcastle United. There are few teams in the world that have such attacking talent at their disposal.

Despite that, there was not much action to speak of though Al-Ahli will feel that they did enough to get a goal or two.

Saint-Maximin set up Firmino for what seemed to be the opening goal after just 17 minutes. The flair-filled French star picked up possession just over the halfway line, advanced to the edge of the area to square the ball for the South American to sweep home. It was a fluid move but Saint-Maximin was adjudged by VAR to have been just offside during the build-up.

There is also talent at the other side of the pitch for the Jeddah giants. Just before the break, Edouard Mendy showed why Al-Ahli had splashed the cash to sign him from Chelsea. Ali Hazazi crossed from the right for Moussa Dembele to connect with a firm header. The French striker had already scored six league goals for Ettifaq this season so far but his effort was tipped over by the Senegalese shot stopper.

With 18 minutes remaining, the Liverpool connection almost put the visitors ahead. Henderson found Wijnaldum in the area and the Dutch midfielder shot over from close range. It was perhaps the best chance of the entire game as was shown as all Ettifaq players had heads in hands as it was not taken.

Both teams pushed for the winning goal but it was not to be and Ahli and Ettifaq had to settle for a point each.

Elsewhere, Al Fateh defeated Al-Wehda 5-1 to move into seventh above the visitors.


Al-Hilal return to SPL summit after Riyadh Derby win over Al-Shabab

Al-Hilal return to SPL summit after Riyadh Derby win over Al-Shabab
Updated 30 September 2023
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Al-Hilal return to SPL summit after Riyadh Derby win over Al-Shabab

Al-Hilal return to SPL summit after Riyadh Derby win over Al-Shabab
  • Despite a missed Neymar penalty, a 2-0 win saw the former champions leapfrog Al-Ittihad who had drawn 0-0 with Al-Fayha

Al-Hilal returned to the top of the Roshn Saudi League table after defeating Al-Shabab 2-0 in the Riyadh Derby at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium on Friday night.

Al-Hilal had entered the eighth round of matches trailing reigning champions Al-Ittihad by one point, but took advantage of their Jeddah rivals’ 0-0 draw against Al-Fayha earlier in the day to return to the summit with three deserved points.

Al-Hilal’s goals came from Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly in the 68th minute and Serbian forward Aleksandar Mitrovic eight minutes later.

Al-Hilal now top the Saudi Pro League table with 20 points, while Al-Shabab remainon eight points in 11th place ahead of the round’s remaining matches over the weekend.

Al-Hilal’s Brazilian superstar Neymar remains without a goal for the club after having first half penalty saved by Al-Shabab goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.

The South Korean No.1 had previously conceded three penalties in two matches against Neymar playing for his country and had told Arab News prior to the match that he was ready to face his nemesis in the SPL.

However, his heroics could not prevent the two second goals that put an end to Al-Shabab’s three match winning streak.