JEDDAH, 28 January 2007 — The gritty Saudi Arabia’s handball team continued their dominant form when they lifted the coveted trophy at the 18th Gulf Cup in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
This was Saudi Arabia’s first title victory in handball in the Gulf Cup.
Winning four out of five games with total eight points, Saudi Arabia are crowned champions as Bahrain got to second place with 7 points in the standings followed by UAE with six points and third place.
Entering the game with vigor and enthusiasm, the Saudis won their first match against the strong UAE 22-21 in a nail-biting finish. Sticking to winning sequence they manhandled Oman 37-26. Marching toward the podium, the Saudis once again proved too much for Qatar, beating them 31-28. Taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the competition, the ruthless Saudis wrapped up another convincing victory by crushing Kuwait 32-24.
Saudi Arabia looked to have won all matches but Bahrain applied the brakes and shattered Saudi dreams of being unbeaten in the tournament and took the final match 29-23 into their favor. This was the only defeat inflicted on Saudis.
Lauding his players’ performance, Col. Talal Hashim, the team manager, gave credit to training camp before the championship kicked off that played a major role in improving their skills.
The continued support from Prince Sultan, president of the Saudi Youth Welfare and his deputy Prince Nawaf ibn Faisal, motivated players to home win, said Hashim.
“A generous offer of SR5,000 to each player from Prince Sultan before the final match meant for encouragement and appreciation,” said an ecstatic Hashim on phone from Abu Dhabi, and adding, “We cannot say it was an easy competition as all GCC teams were well prepared for this tournament.”
“They all worked hard,” he said, a point which was invariably elicited from players, too. Bandar Al-Harbi, 31, who has a tag as the best Saudi handball player after his entry in Asiad and with the current team, believes the competition was not easy.
“Yet we’re not afraid of challenging any team and luckily we have best officials who provided us the best atmosphere during the training camp and in the competition here,” said Harbi. “We owe this victory to our supporters and especially to our country and fans. It was a team spirit that made us possible to reach at this peak,” said Harbi.
Goalkeeper and captain Manaf Yousif also expressed his joy and happiness of winning the title.
“Thank God we made it as it is an indescribable feelings because this championship means a lot to us,” said Yousif, who led the team first time, and adding, “We were the only team who managed to keep their level best.”
Of last match loss, he said, “Though we wanted to win it but due to complacency, the match lots its spirit, and the Bahraini players took the advantage and snatched match from our grasp.” The loss also saddened the team manager, but with the champions title he was filled with joy. The team was looking forward to the following competition, he said. Now we will also work hard on improving the juveniles and youth teams as they’re our future, said Hashim, and adding, the juvenile team will compete in the forthcoming championship in Gulf, and with the new blood we hope they will achieve the same.
On their way to airport for returning journey, the team thanked Prince Sultan for his support and dedicated this victory to him for the faith he kept in them.