JEDDAH, 16 February 2007 — The distant hopes of the Riyadh-based Al-Nasr Club to win a title in the Saudi Football League ended with supporters now hoping to at least remain in the premier division and avoid being relegated to first division.
The one time most strongest team in the Saudi league is currently in intensive care, drowning and gasping for air and searching for a miracle that could possibly save it in the remaining season’s matches.
Nasr Club was the first Saudi team to play in the first World Cup Championship for Teams that took place in South America. It was then that Nasr gained the title of International Club. The “Knights of Najd” — as many people described the team — are now facing the most serious of challenges in their history. Nasr has never stooped so low in ranking in the Saudi league.
The club, whose very mention frightened competing teams once upon a time, is collapsing from within due to an absence of strong leadership. Nasr was the “football university” from which many Saudi football legends graduated including the likes of the “Black Diamond” Majed Abdullah, the “Cobra” Muhaisen Al-Jamman, the “Maestro” Fahd Al-Heraifi and many others who played internationally.
The current football season has not been a positive experience for Nasr fans. At the beginning of the season, Nasr signed Portuguese coach John Arthur. Fans were optimistic that the team would win something and make a comeback after winning nothing for more than eight years. Instead, the Portuguese coach has only led Nasr to disaster. Sport critics say that Arthur’s appointment was the beginning of Nasr’s troubles – Arthur’s track record with the club has been very poor.
The situation has grown so critical that Nasr fans are unwilling to speak about their team. The very mention of Nasr’s name frustrates fans who are struggling to come to terms with the fact that the once giant of Saudi football is now crippled and unable to walk. Some have called on fans to unite with the club and help take it out of its current miserable condition.
The situation is not promising at all. With only eight matches left and 24 points to collect in their matches against Taie, Qadesiya, Shabab, Ittifaq, Ahli, Hilal, Khaleej and Wehda, Nasr have no other choice but to collect as many points as they can and escape from a likely relegation. The task of winning all their matches is an uphill one, this is especially the case since most of the matches are away matches.
A Nasr official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that things were looking wrong from the very beginning. The team got rid of six players thinking they were performing badly, and in less than three months the team went through three coaches. Each coach found it difficult to cope with Nasr’s situation. Some people described the situation like giving first aid to a dead body.
“When we look at Nasr’s players, we see that the ones that the club got rid of are doing excellently at their new clubs. For example, Saad Al-Zahrani is doing more than fantastic with Al-Faisali. He was the main headache. He was behind Nasr losing 4-1 at the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Cup. This shows that the decision to let go of these players was wrong from the very beginning,” said the official, adding that former Nasr player Faisal Seef is Ittihad’s main player and Naser Al-Halawi, another former Nasr player, is performing brilliantly for Al-Hazem.
Speaking to Arriyadiyah newspaper, former Nasr player Saleh Al-Dawood, said that Nasr’s dwindling success comes as a result of the negativity with which the team started at the beginning of the season.
“The decision to choose Arthur from the beginning was the worst decision. The team was in need of a coach with a vision to lead them. Arthur was given a lot of time to change the team but he failed to do so. He was sacked after Nasr lost against Al-Faisali 4-1. It was apparent that the team is in desperate need of new blood to lead it in years to come,” he said.
He added, “The foreign players that were brought to play for Nasr this season were not up to scratch. Blanco (a professional footballer Panama) was good but didn’t perform well in any of the matches. He lacks a sense of major understanding with his teammates. The defenders that were brought to play for Nasr were also not up to the level. Muhsin Al-Harthi and Ahmad Al-Ajmi, who were sacked from the team, were better than the defenders that were brought in. As for the Brazilian international player Denilson, he was a media deal. He hasn’t benefited the team in any way.”
The question remains, what will happen next? Is it too late for Nasr to make a comeback and secure a warm position and then wait for things to get better next season? Is it too late for Nasr to achieve a title in the Saudi league this year, since the club has lost hope in the King’s Cup and the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Cup? Will Nasr be able to do something in the final competition of the season – the Crown Prince Cup?
Last Tuesday, Nasr showed that there is a big chance of the team winning a trophy this season if they play with the same heart and spirit as they had when playing against Al-Faisali of Jordan at the Arab Champions League where Nasr won the match 3-1. Nasr’s performance was excellent and the coach promised that the tables had turned. It felt as if the Najd Knights had returned.
The following few weeks will determine whether Nasr players will be able to protect the reputation of their club and bring the team back from the dead.
