JEDDAH, 20 February 2007 — Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittifaq hope to complete a glorious return to the regional level when they face Al-Qadisiya of Kuwait in the finale today of the Gulf Cup Championship for clubs in Dammam.
The Al-Dahna’a Knights, as the Ittifaq team are known, had been in the final of this competition for the last time in 1988. Now, after more than 19 years the Knights would be looking to end the long drought with a title in the crucial final second leg match.
Besides the home-field advantage momentum will be on the side of Ittifaq following their 2-0 victory over Al-Khaleej in the Saudi Football League.
Ittifaq fans are optimistic of winning the cup and that the cup will not leave Dammam for Kuwait.
Ittifaq are now ready more than ever for the final match. The win against Al-Khaleej was a good gauge for Ittifaq’s readiness and motivation for the big battle.
Ittifaq coach Ammar Al-Suwayeh liked his chances especially since the Tunisian professional Wajeeh Al-Sagheer is back in the team roster. The president of Ittifaq club, Abdul Aziz Al-Dosary, has gone all out in support of the team morally and financially. He promised a bonus of SR50,000 for each player if the team win the crown.
The Dammam-based Ittifaq reached the final after finishing second in Group B. Ittifaq defeated Qatar of Qatar 2-0 on Aug. 26. They then suffered a 1-0 defeat by Al-Jazirah of UAE 1-0 on Aug. 28 but won the last match against Nasr of Oman 1-0 on Aug. 20. Al-Jazirah finished first with seven points, Ittifaq second with 6, Qatar third with 2 and Nasr fourth with 1 point. In the semifinals, Ittifaq tied Al-Salmeya 3-3 in Kuwait on Oct. 30 and defeated Al-Salmeya 3-0 in Dammam on Nov. 20. Qadisiya of Kuwait tied with Al-Jazirah 2-2 in the semifinal first leg match and won the second leg match 1-0 in Kuwait to reach the final against Ittifaq.
Ittifaq won the first leg match against Qadisiya of Kuwait in Kuwait on Dec. 26 when Muhammad Al-Sahli scored the winning goal in the 84th minute.
Fawzi Basheer, Omani professional player at Ittifaq, said that the final match would be very difficult especially since it is against a very strong team like Qadisiya. But he said, “Our team is very strong and we have many young players. We know how to deal with final matches and we will win the cup.”
Abdul Hadi Al-Dosary, manager of Prince Fahd ibn Muhammad Stadium in Dammam, said that the stadium is ready for the final match. He said that the stadium would open doors at 4 p.m. to avoid the rush from a large crowd expected to attend the final match. Admission is free to the public.
