Khaled Shabib, former Vice President of Al-Ahly Club, affirmed his great confidence in the stars of our national team to overcome the obstacle of the Kuwaiti team tonight in the third round of the first group of the 26th Gulf Cup tournament.
Khaled Shabib said in statements to Al-Arab: Today’s confrontation is very difficult, especially in light of Al-Anabi’s situation by earning one point from a draw against the Emirates and a loss against Oman, in addition to facing Al-Azraq on its home soil and among its fans, so the match is “not easy,” but we are confident in our stars to achieve qualification. God willing, I expect to pass despite the complex calculations in the group.”
He added, “We must achieve victory and not look at the other match between Oman and the Emirates, and Al-Anabi “led it.” There are players who are present for the first time in the tournament, and this makes it difficult, but it is not impossible for us and in football.”
He continued, saying, “The Kuwaiti team is distinguished by its high spirit because it plays on the ground and with the audience, and football is not only performance and technique, but spirit, and it achieved 4 points from a win and a draw, and I refer to Al-Annabi for this matter, considering that spirit comes before performance.”
When asked about the reasons for the loss to the Omani team, he said, “The frequent change of coaches has greatly affected our national team, and there is no stability. A strategic plan must be developed on the long-term level and not focus on a specific tournament. The change affected Al-Anabi in the Asian Cup despite our winning the title, in addition to the qualifiers.” Asia qualifies for the 2026 World Cup in addition to the Gulf Cup.”
Khaled Shabib affirmed his great confidence in all Al-Annabi players and said, “Al-Anabi plays as a single bloc, and we have wonderful elements capable of making a difference tonight, such as Akram Afif and Al-Moez Ali,” indicating that Al-Anabi missed Pedro in the back line due to his injury.
Khaled Shabib refused to hold coach Garcia fully responsible for the draw and loss in the previous two matches because he came to train our team in a limited time days before the tournament. Indeed, I demand that he correct and rectify the mistakes against Kuwait tonight and stabilize the formation, but at the same time he does not bear the responsibility alone.