BAD NAUHEIM, 13 June 2006 — Euro Sport channel was so impressed with Hamad Al-Montashiri it nominated the Saudi national team standout and Al-Ittihad defender to play with a European team after the World Cup. In picking out Al-Montashiri, Euro Sport said the young player has showed a maturity far beyond his years. The TV channel predicted Al-Montashiri would help the Saudi team advance to the last 16.
Arabs in Germany to Support Saudi Team
The large numbers of Arab residents in Germany are to throw their support behind the Saudi World Cup team. Saudi and Gulf students are traveling from cities around Germany to support the Saudi squad against Tunisia.
Large crowds are expected for the match between Saudi Arabia and Tunisia especially since all 2,000 tickets specified for Tunisians and Saudis are sold out. It is expected that 24,000 fans would attend the match.
Reward a Motivation for All Saudi Players
Saudi players expressed their happiness for the reward system announced by Youth Welfare Presidency and Saudi Football Federation chief Prince Sultan ibn Fahd. The players said that the money is not their target but it will be a good motivation for the team to achieve good results. Journalists covering the World Cup said that the Saudi reward that offers each player SR100,000 for a victory in the group stage and a further SR300,000 for reaching the second round is so far the highest among the national teams entered in the World Cup.
Choice of Goalkeeper Hangs in Balance?
It is almost certain that under the 4-5-1 formation the Saudi defense line is to be manned by Hamad Al-Montashiri, Reda Tukar, Ahmad Al-Dukhi and Al-Khathran. Omar Al-Ghamdi, Saud Kariri, Khaled Aziz and Nawaf Al-Temyat will be at midfield and the lone striker in the setup will be Yasir Al-Qahtani. The goalkeeping position is yet to determined although Mabrook Zaid is likely to start over veteran Mohammad Al-Deayea. The international press tossed the question whether this position is a fight between the two Saudi goalkeepers. Al-Deayea denied there was a rivalry between him and Mabrook saying that it is not important on who will start the match. He said that he does not mind staying on the bench. He said, “I am ready to support the Saudi national team even from the bench seat. If the coach chose Mabrook then I will give him advices from my experience.”
Zaid said that he has great respect for Al-Deayea and he is learning a lot from him.
