ShareKUWAIT: The Facility of Jaber Al-Mubarak Stadium which host Khaleeji Zain 26 matches received widespread praise from officials and players following the first operational match between Kuwait Sports Club and its Sulaibkhat counterpart on Sunday which ended in a 2-2 draw.
The operational scene of Jaber Al-Mubarak Stadium came in the best possible way, starting with the easy entry of the fans to their designated places in the stands, with the help of volunteers, through the entry of the players on the field, and the use of modern technologies during the match, and ending with the departure of all attendees, each from the gate assigned to them in an ideal manner. The local and Gulf media began their tasks in the places assigned to them at Jaber Al-Mubarak Stadium completely smoothly, helped by the excellent organization of the working committees.
Sara Fleitah, Deputy Director of Public Authority for the Sports Facilities Sector, said: “We witnessed with great joy the success of the actual operational experience of Jaber Al-Mubarak Stadium, which has a capacity of 15,000 spectators, and the experience revealed full readiness to host the Gulf Championship, as modern technical devices were tested, whether used around or outside the stadium, in addition to checking the organizational process of entering and exiting the sports fans, and we thank everyone who contributed to the success of the experience, which proved our full readiness to receive Kuwait’s guests from our brothers in the Gulf.”
For her part, Director of Facilities and Maintenance Department Rasha Al-Sayegh emphasized that the floors of Jaber Al-Ahmad and Jaber Al-Mubarak Stadiums are among the best in the world, due to their high quality, after they were equipped according to the latest technological equipment adopted globally, and the issues that previously plagued the floors of stadiums were addressed with the best technological solutions.
“With the support of Minister of Information and Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, and the follow-up of the Acting Director of the Public Authority for Sport, Bashar Abdullah, and the concerted efforts and team spirit, we were able to accomplish all the necessary requirements to host the Gulf Cup,” Al-Sayegh said.
For his part, Ayman Al-Husseini, a member of the Board of Directors of the Football Association, stressed that everyone seeks the success of “Khaleeji Zain 26”, whether as a player or within the technical, administrative and medical staff of the team and the working committees, as well as the participating brotherly teams, as everyone hopes that it will appear in a wonderful way, because of the special status that the Gulf Cup tournaments occupies for everyone, praising the tireless efforts of the organizing committee and its keenness to provide a suitable atmosphere for the competitions of the tournament dear to the hearts of athletes.
On the chances of our national team in “Khaleeji Zain 26”, Al-Husseini, who headed the Blue delegation in the Doha preparatory camp, said: “The Kuwaiti national team is still at the top of the table. The Kuwaiti national team is still at the top of the most awarded teams, having won the title 10 times out of 25 tournaments, which puts the blue in the circle of media attention, and its players are always required to compete for the title, or appear in a manner befitting the reputation of Kuwaiti football at the very least,” pointing out that preparations for hosting the Gulf Cup began months ago, and said: “With the support of Minister of Information and Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, and the follow-up of the Acting Director of the Public Authority for Sport, Bashar Abdullah, and the concerted efforts and team spirit, we were able to accomplish all the necessary requirements for hosting the Gulf Cup.”
Earlier, the Kuwait Football Association announced on Monday the national team lineup for the upcoming Arabian Gulf Cup (Khaleeji Zain 26), hosted by Kuwait from December 21 to January 3.
The Association said on its social media platform (X) that coach Juan Pizzi selected 26 players, including Khaled Al-Rashidi, Salman Abdulghfour, Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli Hamad Harbi, Ahmad Al-Dhafiri, Mubarak Al-Faneeni, Yousef Nasser, Nasser Khudhur, Hassan Hamdan and Yousef Majed. The list also features Ali Khalaf, Khaled Ibrahim, Mishari Ghannam, Mohammad Daham, Sami Al-Sanea Rashed Al-Dosari, Salman Al-Awadhi, Bandar Boreslli, Moath Al-Dhafiri, Faisal Zayed, Fahad Al-Hajeri, Sultan Al-Enezi, Redha Hani, Eid Al-Rashidi, Moath Al-Osaimea and Fawaz Ayed. Kuwait leads Group A for being the host, alongside Oman, UAE and Qatar, Group B includes Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen. This marks the fifth time Kuwait hosts the Gulf Cup, as well as the most winning team in the tournament’s history with ten titles. —KUNA and Agencies
