Saudi Daily News Thread Part II

Discussion in 'Saudi Arabia' started by burning_phoneix, Nov 5, 2011.

  1. al ittihady

    al ittihady Member

    Jan 5, 2009
    Club:
    Al Ittihad Jeddah
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia
    If its true, then Salem Dawsari or Abdul Aziz Dossary will move to Ittihad
     
  2. burning_phoneix

    Jul 13, 2008
    Saudi Arabia
    Club:
    Al Wehda Mecca
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia
    A Hilali accusing Al Nassr of ruining careers. :laugh:

    I won't forgive you guys for ruining Eisa Al Mehyani's career
     
  3. al ittihady

    al ittihady Member

    Jan 5, 2009
    Club:
    Al Ittihad Jeddah
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia
    What hi..What Hil...What Hilali??

    I don't even like the "H" alphabet in the English Character..

    Where Eisa anyways??
     
  4. burning_phoneix

    Jul 13, 2008
    Saudi Arabia
    Club:
    Al Wehda Mecca
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia
    I meant to quote Hammad_Friend sorry about that.

    I don't even know where Eisa went. Last I know he was at Najran back in the 15/16 season.
     
  5. burning_phoneix

    Jul 13, 2008
    Saudi Arabia
    Club:
    Al Wehda Mecca
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia
  6. al ittihady

    al ittihady Member

    Jan 5, 2009
    Club:
    Al Ittihad Jeddah
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia
    Plus they can hire foreign GK now
     
  7. hammad_friend

    hammad_friend Member

    Dec 26, 2005
    Dubai, Karachi
    Club:
    Al Hilal Riyadh
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia

    You mean to say that you don't like Letter "H" because of me ?...
     
  8. burning_phoneix

    Jul 13, 2008
    Saudi Arabia
    Club:
    Al Wehda Mecca
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia
    #1033 burning_phoneix, Jun 26, 2017
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2017
    He doesn't like the letter H because of Hilal. :ROFLMAO:

    News:

    The Saudi FA will cancel the playoff match between the third place of the First Division and the 12th place of the Premier league to decide the third team to be relegated and promoted starting from next season.

    It will simply be two up and two down like before.
     
  9. al ittihady

    al ittihady Member

    Jan 5, 2009
    Club:
    Al Ittihad Jeddah
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia
    Good to hear that..

    What's your take on foreign GK to be allowed to play in league...Surely GK was on of the talents we used to keep discovering..Will we loose that too in future.. ??
     
  10. hammad_friend

    hammad_friend Member

    Dec 26, 2005
    Dubai, Karachi
    Club:
    Al Hilal Riyadh
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia
    Nasser Al Shamrani joined Al-Shabab
     
  11. al ittihady

    al ittihady Member

    Jan 5, 2009
    Club:
    Al Ittihad Jeddah
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia
    When will the transfer window closes in Saudi ?? Or is it forever running ?? I can't see clubs stop buying players..

    BTW, Gelmin Rivas moves to Hilal FC
     
  12. Fa1con

    Fa1con Member

    Mar 29, 2016
    The big plan: Learning from loaning Saudi

    DUBAI: News broke on Sunday about a major plan by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) to send national team players to spend the second half of the season on loan at various European clubs ahead of the Green Falcons’ participation in next year’s World Cup in Russia.

    The fine print reveals that the federation along with its government umbrella, the General Sport Authority, are in the process of signing agreements with clubs and leagues across Europe to allow Saudi players the opportunity to test themselves against stronger opponents, week in, week out in the old continent. The first of those agreements was signed with Spain’s La Liga last week.
     
  13. Fa1con

    Fa1con Member

    Mar 29, 2016
    MAN U, LALIGA AND SAUDI FORM PARTNERSHIPS

    The General Sports Authority (GSA) of Saudi Arabia has signed strategic partnerships with LaLiga, which operates the top two divisions of Spanish football, and English Premier League club Manchester United. The GSA has agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with United, through which the club will help the organisation develop Saudi Arabia’s football industry as part of its 2030 Vision.

    The Saudi Vision 2030 was announced last year by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and is designed to diversify the Saudi economy and develop the country’s public sectors. United will provide Saudi clubs, authorities and individuals with business and sporting expertise as part of the agreement.

    Turki Al-Shikh, chairman of the GSA, added: “This relationship is part of an exciting programme we are undertaking to transform sport in Saudi Arabia. Manchester United has a phenomenal reputation for delivery in these areas. We believe their knowledge and experience will be invaluable in making this project successful.”

    The GSA’s multi-year partnership with LaLiga, meanwhile, will seek to grow Saudi football across all levels. The agreement will present a range of branding opportunities and also includes an academy partnership and a talent ID scouting initiative for young footballers in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation will be granted rights to create and develop local football academies in the country under the brand, technical supervision and expertise of LaLiga. It is hoped the scouting initiative will lead to young Saudi Arabia-based players being placed in LaLiga academies. The GSA’s partnerships with United and LaLiga mark the body's latest moves to strengthen Saudi Arabia's position within the global sports market.
     
  14. Fa1con

    Fa1con Member

    Mar 29, 2016
    Nine players move to Spain as part of Saudi-LaLiga partnership
    Sunday afternoon saw a continuation of the Saudi-Spanish partnership with nine separate loan deals announced involving clubs in the top two divisions of football on the Iberian Peninsula.

    Nine players will head to seven different teams after the ceremony in Riyadh.

    Yahya Al-Shehri has signed for Leganes with Marwan Othman heading to the club's junior ranks. Fahad Al-Muwallad has gone on loan to Levante whilst Salem Al Dawsari signs for Villarreal.

    Jaber Issa joins Villarreal B whilst Segunda Division clubs have also been given a handful of players to utilise. Nooh Al Mousa has moved for Real Valladolid, Abdulmajeed Al Sulayhi heads to Rayo Vallecano, Ali Al Namer will sign for Numancia with Abdullah Al Hamdan sealing a switch to Sporting Gijon.

    These deals are part of a project in which LaLiga, the General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation look to boost their respective football brands.

    None of the players will arrive at any cost, nor will their salaries be paid by any of the Spanish teams involved.

    In a statement released by LaLiga on Sunday evening, the process behind the deals was explained.

    "The arrival of Saudi footballers in Spain comes after a rigorous scouting process," the statement read.

    "Spanish clubs have worked for months to capture the player which best fits their team and improves their squad."

    Mohamed Bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, has been a big supporter of the partnership following the purchase of television rights to LaLiga in the country.
     
  15. Fa1con

    Fa1con Member

    Mar 29, 2016
    Yahia Al-Shehri (Leganes)

    [​IMG]



    Yahia Al-Shehri, known as the Asian Messi, has played 16 games this season scoring four goals and providing six assists. He has an exquisite left foot, generally plays wide but can also perform the interior functions on either side. He will wear the number 4.


    Fahad Al-Muwallad (Levante)






    Levante have taken the 23-year-old Arab striker from Al-Ittihad. He's a fast, right-footed player, who can occupy the wide positions on either side as well as playing as a second striker. With his goal he qualified Saudi Arabia for the 2018 World Cup.

    Salem Al Dawsari (Villarreal)





    Salem Al Dawsari is a right-footed midfielder who usually acts as a winger on either side. He arrives at Villarreal from Al Hilal and has played a total of 161 games, scoring 28 goals and providing 23 assists. Al Dawsari is a regular international with the Saudi Arabia team, playing 17 matches and scoring two goals.

    [​IMG]






     
  16. Fa1con

    Fa1con Member

    Mar 29, 2016
    Turki Al-Alshaikh: More Saudi stars will make move to Europe following loaning out of nine players to Spanish clubs

    DUBAI: Turki Al-Alshaikh, head of Saudi Arabia’s General Sport Authority (GSA), believes the loaning out of nine Saudi Arabian players to Spanish clubs is just the start and will pave the way for more Saudi stars to head to Europe and represent the country.

    At a joint press conference with Spain’s Liga de Fútbol Profesional (LFP) held in Riyadh on Sunday night the GSA announced that the nine players had completed loan moves to clubs in the Spanish first and second divisions.
    The deals are part of an agreement signed between the two parties in October last year, aimed at developing football in the Kingdom.

    Commenting on the transfers, Al-Alshaikh said it was “an opportunity for the players to learn what it is to be real professionals, gain experience and represent Saudi Arabia abroad.”

    Al-Alshaikh was central to the completion of the transfers, laying the foundations for scouts from Spanish clubs to visit Saudi Arabia to select players. He sees the loans as being the first part of what he hopes will result in a host of Saudi stars make the move to the big European leagues.

    “I have infinite faith in the ability of our players. It is our role, all of us, to back them in this experience, which will be the beginning of many more transfers to Europe,” Al-Alshaikh said.
     
  17. Fa1con

    Fa1con Member

    Mar 29, 2016
    Bencharki has been playing excellently for Wydad, helping them to the CAF Champions League trophy and the FIFA Club World Cup.
     
  18. Fa1con

    Fa1con Member

    Mar 29, 2016
  19. Fa1con

    Fa1con Member

    Mar 29, 2016








     
  20. Fa1con

    Fa1con Member

    Mar 29, 2016
  21. al ittihady

    al ittihady Member

    Jan 5, 2009
    Club:
    Al Ittihad Jeddah
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia
    3 plus weeks, apart from respective twitter followers of the clubs being increased I don't see any substantial movement from players.
    Salem gave hope after Villareal named him in team squad but so far we have not seen any players in bench too..
     
  22. bigsoccertst1

    bigsoccertst1 Member+

    United States
    Sep 22, 2017
    #1047 bigsoccertst1, Feb 22, 2018
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2018
    Today, a Spanish radio program gave a report on results achieved by the GSA-La Liga agreement, including Saudi player status.

    As expected, it has been a cash-grab for Spanish clubs, without official matches for Saudi players.

    The most promising case so far: Fahad Al-Muwallad played 65 minutes in a friendly match between Spanish Levante and Russian Ufa (Feb 21). This occurred after Levante obtained a 3-million-euro sponsorship deal with Saudi telcom brand Jawwy. Levante pays the minimum salary to Al-Muwallad.

    Spanish coaches are not shy about their assessments of Saudi players. Their ratings are poor, for lack of better words.

    Here is a translated version of that Spanish article. Please keep an open mind, as this press article was written with Spaniard public in mind.
    Fair warning to those who get easily offended. I am placing it into an spoiler box, just in case.

    I post it here so that Saudi football fans can see how people, who work within Spanish football, value those specific players. I think the GSA would have you think otherwise.

    Report on Saudi players in Spanish football

    Spanish article link: http://cadenaser.com/programa/2018/02/21/el_larguero/1519241907_816814.html
    ****text in italic font, added for clarity. Not part of translation.

    REPORT FROM EL LARGUERO
    Saudi players in LaLiga: one month, zero minutes

    • It is one month since the arrival of the Saudis and none have debuted.
    • Levante already has an Arab sponsor which gives it 3 million euros.
    • "As of today, he will not play", says Garitano (club coach) about his player.
    • "If they were first-class players, at world level, they would not pay to come here", confesses to SER some sources of the project (GSA-LaLiga deal).
    Cadena SER Feb 22 2018

    Last January 21, nine Saudi players landed in Spain, a movement that caught everyone by surprise, every club follower, who saw with certain perplexity how three teams in 1st division and six in 2nd division signed totally unknown players.

    We found the background of this operation in an agreement of LaLiga with Saudi Arabia, one of the least democratic countries in the world, and which was going to bring great advantages to Spanish clubs who would receive this type of player loan at zero cost from the Arab country.

    LaLiga argues that the project is going as foreseen

    Clubs receive money in exchange of developing a Saudi footballer who will evolve much more by training 4 months in Spain than playing that period in his country. From their new HQ in Torrelaguna street (new offices of LaLiga), they assert that few winter transfers perform well in the short-term. "If they were first-class players, at world level, they would not pay to come here", confesses to Cadena SER a person who has experienced the operation from the inside but prefers not to reveal their identity. As a matter of fact, if one of these footballers from the Persian Gulf plays and performs well from now until May, it would be considered a miracle. The Spain ambassador in Riyadh, present in the photo after the signing of the nine contracts, has not answered to our request for an interview.

    At El Larguero, we visited the cities which have taken in these players since a month ago, to know: how their adaptation process is going, their real sporting level, and whether they will be important pieces for what remains of the season.

    The headline is without doubt that no player who arrived a month ago has debuted in an official match. None. The one closest to that is Fahad Al-Muwallad, the player of club Levante, who played 65 minutes in a friendly this Wednesday (Feb 21).

    On the field, Levante has not gotten anything positive out of the player's arrival, unlike in its bank account. Since last Friday (Feb 16), the frog team (team nickname) is sponsored by Jawwy, a mobile telcom company in Saudi Arabia, an in-house brand of the Saudi government and which has left 3 million euros in cash flow till the end of the season.

    Levante pays a minimum salary to the player and in exchange has signed a sponsorship deal of 3 million euros. A very good business operation for a player who Fernando Sanz, the visible face of LaLiga in all of this process, defines as "the Messi o the Cristriano Ronaldo from Arabia". But for Vicente Blanco, Levante sports director, "as of today, he cannot outlast a match in Spanish 1st division".

    LaLiga pays the personal translator of the Villarreal player

    Salem Al-Dawsari was the player that came to reinforce the 1st team at Villarreal. He did not arrive alone. Along came Issa, of 20 years old, for the affiliate team. Salem Al-Dawsari has not debuted but Calleja, Villarreal's coach, has said that "very soon" he might enter into some team list.

    In the dressing room, they are gladly surprised with his adaptation, he speaks English, which makes things easier, although in training sessions he needs a personal translator nearby, an employee paid by LaLiga. The player resides in Castellon and has asked for interesting places around to do tourism. The club has done things to integrate its player, it has searched for a butcher shop that meets his needs, and has searched for a mosque so he can recite his prayers.

    "As of today he is not ready to play"

    To Leganes came Yahia Al-Shehri, a player who for Asier Garitano (Leganes coach), after being asked by Cadena SER, "as of today he is not ready to play". Zaldua, Al-Shehri's teammate told on Monday (Feb 19) to radio program 'Ser Deportivos' that the player "is adapting well but it is not easy, as he came playing at another rhythm". During Garitano's one month at Butarque (Leganes club site), the coach has not had time to grab his seat yet, thus for the time being the player does not count for Garitano.

    The players in 2nd division, in the same situation

    Nouh Al-Mousa came to Valladolid and it is taking him long to adapt to the city and the cold weather. He travels around always with a chauffeur, who also translates for the player and is not paid by club Valladolid. The white-violet team is endeared with him and, more the merrier after it was confirmed that next week new publicity will be displayed at both the stadium and the uniform shorts for an Arab telcom company.

    The only player of Rayo Vallecano who has not played this season is Abdulmajeed Al-Sulalheem. He also has a personal translator not paid by the club, where the club has not spent one euro into the operation, not one resource at all. Rayo Vallecano still hopes that the arrival of the player will be key to sign with some sponsor, something that has not happened yet. As a matter of fact, Martin Presa, Rayo club president, told to Cadena SER that "perhaps it would be interesting to extend his stay here until 2019".

    One who appears to be the most adapted is Ali Al-Namer, player of Numancia. He has not played an official match but this week played a friendly match in which he gave one good assist. He goes everywhere with a personal translator as he does not speak Spanish and the club has provided a female teacher for Spanish language. "He may enter any time soon. He lacks tactical level", said Arrasate (Numancia coach) about his player.

    Lastly, to Sporting Gijon came Alshabab Abdullah, a youth player who trains with the affiliate team in 3rd division. He has not debuted yet as he lacks a player registration due to bureaucratic reasons, and players who share the dressing room with him recognize off the microphone that he has no skills to play in the 3rd division. The club's technical staff, 12th team in 2nd division and far from relegation, did not find any interesting Saudi player for their first team.

    He is a shy kid, well educated, who lives with his father who was concerned about the cold weather in Asturias and has a personal translator paid by the club, who also wears training clothes along with the coaching staff. He is fast, skilled with both legs, well endowed both technically and physically, although his competitive shortcomings come to light in one-on-one duels and gaining 50/50 balls.

    The rise in clubs' social media

    The rise of followers in Twitter, Facebook or Instagram of the clubs that have signed Arab players has been consistent. In fact, Levante is the football club which grew the most in the 1st month of 2018. The great majority are Saudi fans interested in following the actions of their favorite players.

    The objective of LaLiga

    The ties between LaLiga and Saudi Arabia are very solid. On January 31, the contract with Roberto Olabe and his team of coaches ended, but the new Global Project Manager is in Riyadh coordinating mainly two ventures: the creation of development academies and the detection of young talent.

    In Saudi Arabia there is an elevated number of inhabitants who do not possess Saudi nationality, despite being born there, and that is the population segment wherein LaLiga is looking for players now.

    Article information created by: Antón Meana, Óscar Egido, Xavi Sidro, David González, José Carlos San José, José Manuel Alemán, José David Palacio, José Ignacio Tornadijo, Ávaro Benito y Alejandro Rodríguez
     
    al ittihady repped this.
  23. al ittihady

    al ittihady Member

    Jan 5, 2009
    Club:
    Al Ittihad Jeddah
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia
    Nothing offensive I found but glad the coaches were open enough to say they lack skills and are finding difficult to adapt.
    Many new it from beginning its a failed project and players will take time to adapt. I don't know how the players will react moving forward if they don't get single minute to play and they are back..
     
  24. bigsoccertst1

    bigsoccertst1 Member+

    United States
    Sep 22, 2017
    Cool, sometimes the messenger gets blamed for delivering the message.

    My suspicion is that most failing projects are just excuses to divert funds towards friends/business partners, particularly if government funds are involved.

    Once all the sponsorship deals are signed by those Spanish clubs, it would be interesting to see if they match what GSA+Saudi sponsors declare as expenditures on their deals.

    The report did not mention youth player Marwan Othman (off to Leganes affiliate in 4th division, if I recall correctly).

    That is a worrisome aspect of this deal: youth players like Marwan Othman and Alshabab Abdullah falling into bureaucratic limbo, where they cannot be registered into the team, let alone play.

    The minimum salary in Spanish 1st division, after July 2017 is: 155k euros/year or 12.9k euros/month.
    http://www.noticiasdenavarra.com/20...l/asciende-el-salario-minimo-de-los-jugadores

    That is Fahad Al-Muwallad's salary at Levante. Meanwhile, club Levante receives 3 million euros for 4 months, regardless of the field time he receives. 750k/month in, 12.9k/month out.
     
  25. al ittihady

    al ittihady Member

    Jan 5, 2009
    Club:
    Al Ittihad Jeddah
    Nat'l Team:
    Saudi Arabia
    Let's not put the political angle into it..

    The overall project was ambitious but planned in wrong time with a false goal.
    The General Sports Authority GSA wanted the players to get exposed to the playing conditions outside and invited the scouts to watch the players and get them into the team if they like the players.
    What went wrong from here was choosing only one league to get the players in one league..it was another way of showing off in WC that KSA NT has players in La Liga.

    Lastly, Levante coach has named Fahd in the team, and lets hope he atleast gets bench if not start..
     

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