Hamza Idrees hangs up his boots

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Saudi international footballer Hamza Idrees hung up his boots Wednesday at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in a friendly match against Juventus which was graced by Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal Bin Fahd, Vice Chairman, General President of Youth Welfare (GPYW).

The match ended 2-2 and witnessed a below-par performance by both teams. All the goals came in the first half. Some of ex-players of Al-Ittihad also took part in their friend’s last match. Idrees was known for crucial goals.

His fans call him “The Thunder” for his great goals.
“I am very proud of you. Your support has been the real fuel for me as a player,” Idrees, told the fans, who came five hours before the match.

During the break, memorial shields and gifts were offered to Idrees. Prince Nawaf offered Idrees a gift on behalf of Prince Sultan Bin Fahd, President of the GPYW. He also gave Idrees a personal gift. The teammates of the retired player also presented him with the key of a luxury car. Idrees presented his jersey (No. 9) to team’s new striker Naif Hazzazi.

In the 55th minute, Idrees left the field to end his 17 years of his career. He has represented the Saudi national team in more than 70 matches and has scored 30 goals.

Idrees started playing football in his neighborhood in Madina when he was only 11. He played for a local team as goalkeeper.

Idrees first joined his first team Ohud for SR5,000 when he was 14 years old. He represented Ohud at the age of 16. Five years later, he moved to Al-Ittihad on a SR5-million deal.

On Saturday, Al-Hilal will meet Inter Milan in Riyadh on the ocassion of the retirement of another Saudi international Nawaf Al-Timiyat.

TVTC workers’ help to flood-hit appreciated

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, has sent a letter of appreciation to Dr. Ali Bin Nasser Al-Ghufais, Governor of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), for the efforts the corporation’s Jeddah centers have made in the renovation of flood-damaged houses.

Some 350 TVTC workers are working on a free face-lift program to help flood-hit residents repair their homes.

Dr. Al-Ghufais expressed his gratitude to Prince Khaled for his gesture and affirmed that the institution would continue its efforts until all damaged houses are rebuilt.
“Since the disaster first occurred, we have been keen to lend a hand to the distressed people,” Al-Ghufais said.

He added that TVTC workers have completely repaired 244 residential units so far.
“Our home maintenance program is being carried out by TVTC experts in all fields, such as carpentry, refrigeration, welding, electricity and painting. We have also made all the required raw material available for workers to ensure continuous work and better service,” he said.

He added that an emergency center has been located near Abraq Al-Reghama, east of the Haramain Road, to receive requests from the owners of damaged houses.

According to Al-Ghufais, the center receives house maintenance applications day and night seven days a week.

Al-Shabab, Al-Khaleej and Al-Ansar make quarters

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Shabab, Al-Khaleej, Al-Ansar and Al-Ta’awon qualified Saturday for the quarterfinals of the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup after defeating Al-Hilal, Hejr, Al-Wehdah and Al-Faisali, respectively.

In Group A, title holder Shabab beat Al-Hilal 2-0 to finish at the top of Group A with 22 points. Hilal had earlier qualified after securing 20 points.

Faisal Al-Sultan put Shabab in the lead in the sixth minute and then Abdul Aziz Al-Yousuf sealed the win in the 67th minute.

In the same group, Shua’lah beat its rival Al-Nasr 3-0 at Al-Shua’lah Club Stadium.

At Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium, Al-Khaleej downed its Group B host Hejr 2-0 to move second in the group thereby securing a passage to the next round with a one-goal difference over Al-Ittifaq. Both teams had 17 points.

Al-Fateh sits on top of the group with 21 points. It beat Al-Adalah 3-1.
Husain Al-Turki scored for Khaleej in the fourth minute before Mahmoud Al-Sa’igh sealed the win 15 minutes later.

In the same group, Al-Ittifaq defeated Al-Qadasiya 2-0. The first goal came through Saleh Basheer before Hamad Al-Hamad sealed the win from the spot.

In Group C, Al-Ansar beat Al-Wehdah 1-0 to qualify as the second team from the group with a two-goal difference over Al-Ta’ee (second in group D).

The two second-placed teams have 13 points each.

In the same group, Al-Ittihad defeated its host Ohud 2-0.

In group D, Al-Ta’awon succeeded in advancing to the quarterfinals after defeating Al-Faisal 3-1 at Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Sports City in Al-Majma’a.

In a group E encounter, Abha shared the spoils 1-1 with its host Najran at the Al-Okhdoud Club Stadium. With that draw, Abha qualified for the quarterfinals with 12 points. The rules of the competition indicate that only one team should qualify from this group.
In the same group, Dhamak and Hitteen played a goalless draw at Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Stadium.

At Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Musa’ad Bin Jalawi Stadium in Hail, Al-Ta’ee defeated the visiting team Al-Hazm 3-1. However, both group D teams left the competition.

At Prince Turki Bin Abdul Aziz Stadium, host Riyadh defeated Al-Watani 2-1. These two also left the competition.

The teams which have qualified for the quarterfinals are: Group A: Al-Shabab and Al-Hilal; Group B: Al-Fateh and Al-Khaleej; Group C: Al-Ahli and Al-Ansar; Group D: Al-Ta’awon; Group E: Abha.

Ahli signs Farias as coach

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Ahli Club has signed an 18-month contract with Sergio Ricardo de Pavia Farias who left the Asian champion Pohang Steelers to take up the post.

Al-Ahli is fourth in the Zain Saudi Professional League with 19 points. The 43-year-old new coach is expected to help Ahli’s title hopes alive, besides preparing it for the Asian Championship.

Farias had led Pohang to the Asian Champions League title in November after defeating Al-Ittihad in the final. He then took the club to the third place at the FIFA Club World Cup that was held in Abu Dhabi recently.

According to the Asian Football Confederation website, Farias put pen to paper in Jeddah Friday and will take control of the team in January.

The Brazilian will be tasked with securing success for Ahli at the 2010 Asian Champions League where it is grouped with Qatar’s Al-Gharafa, UAE’s Al-Jazira and Iranian champion Esteghlal.

Ahli also announced signing another contract with Tunisian defender Salahuddin Ghazal.

Coming from the Swedish BSC Young Boys, the 29-year-old Ghazal is known for his physical strength and high jump.

Ahli administration added that it will soon finalize a contract with a new playmaker who will replace the Argentinian midfielder Sebastian.

Shabab beats Nasr, sits 2nd in standings

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Runner-up Al-Shabab continued chasing the Zain Saudi Professional League leader Al-Hilal after defeating nine-man Al-Nasr 3-2 at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh Friday.

Striker Nasser Al-Shamrani put Al-Shabab in the lead just before the break. Argentinean midfielder Victor Alberto Figueroa equalized for Nasr after the break, but Abdullah Shuhail put Shabab one up only for Nasr’s Figueroa to level the game again. Abdullah Al-Ostta, however, gave Shabab the winning goal in the 67th minute.

Shabab is second in the standings with 33 points, five behind Al-Hilal. On the other hand, Nasr is seventh with 15 points.

Although Shabab played without two of its key players - Tariq Al-Ta’ib and Marcelo Ramiro Camacho - the team succeeded in securing all the three points from the encounter.

Nasr keeper Khaled Radhi was sin-binned for bringing down Naji Majrashi on the line of the box in the fifth minute. Abdu Barnawi was then replaced with the second keeper, Abdullah Al-Enezi.

Shabab, however, succeeded in securing a goal only in the 47th minute when Nasser Al-Shamrani headed an Abdullah Shuhail cross into the goal.

Two minutes after the break, Nasr’s Figueroa dribbled through three defenders to put the ball in the right corner of Shabab keeper Waleed Abdullah to level the score at 1-1.

Shuhail put Shabab back in the front when he deceived the keeper to put the ball in the top right corner of the goal.

Figueroa equalized the score once again in the 67th minute when he dribbled past two defenders to kick the ball in the left bottom of the goal.

A minute after the goal, Abdullah Al-Ostta put Shabab ahead for good when he headed the ball into the empty goal after Al-Enezi had left the goal in an attempt to save the situation.

In the other match of the day Al-Ittifaq played out a goalless match against 10-man guest team Al-Ahli at the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam.

The drawn game concluded the 14th round of the league leaving Al-Ahli in the fourth place in the standings while Al-Ittifaq sits 10th with 10 points.

The next round will kick off Thursday with three encounters - Hilal vs. Nasr; Al-Ahli vs. Shabab; and Fateh vs. Ittifaq.

Al-Hilal beats Al-Wehda despite a ‘goal’ being declared void

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Hilal increased its lead at the top of the Zain Saudi Professional League standings beating Al-Wehda 3-1 despite a goal being declared void at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium Thursday afternoon.

The match was moved in the afternoon due to the cold weather the Central Region is experiencing these days.

Yasser Al-Qahtani put Al-Hilal in the lead in the 22nd minute while Mohammed Al-Shalhoub, the league’s top scorer with 10 goals, doubled the lead in the 63rd minute. Both goals came through cross passes by the Swedish midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson, who has renewed his contract with Al-Hilal for another two seasons.

Muhanned Aseeri scored the visitors’ lone goal in the 78th minute. Thiago Neves, however, sealed the win from the spot in the 89th minute after Wehda defender Majid Bilal had brought down Wilhelmsson in the area.

Hilal President, Prince Abdurrahman Bin Musa’ad, said after the match that they will ask the General Presidency of Youth Welfare to depute foreign referees for the remaining matches.

The demand came after referee Abdurrahman Al-Amri, depending on a signal from the linesman Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, declared Wilhelmsson’s “goal” void.
Wilhelmsson had kicked the ball from inside the area. His ball hit the bar and fell behind the goal line before bouncing back to the bar and falling in front of the goal line. It was not declared a goal.

Commenting on the incident in an interview with a TV channel, Abdul-Moa’tti Kaki, Al-Wehda president, said the goal should have stood. Though, he claimed that Hilal’s first goal should not have been a goal since Qahtani was offside. He also suspected the accuracy of the referee’s decision on Hilal penalty kick.

Hilal sits on top of the standings with 38 points, eight ahead of runner-up Al-Shabab. Al-Wehdah remains fifth on 17 points.

Hazm beat Al-Fateh 2-1 at Al-Hazm Club Stadium in Al-Russ city in the other afternoon encounter.

Salahuddin Eqal put Hazm in front four minutes after the break. Al-Hazm goalkeeper Saeed Al-Harbi then saved his team from a certain goal when he blocked a penalty taken by Tunisian defender Ramzi Younos in the 55th minute.

The five-minute extra time witnessed two goals. Yahiya Majrashi first scored for Al-Hazm in the 91st minute, while Al-Fateh’s Emanuel scored from the spot seconds before time.

The winner is eighth in standings with 15 points, while Al-Fateh is sixth with 17 points.

Champion Al-Ittihad beat Al-Raed 3-2 at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium. Amine Chermiti put Ittihad in front in the 17th minute before his teammate Hicham Aboucherouane doubled the lead six minutes later.

The Malian striker of the guest team, Javier About, helped decrease the lead in the 66th minute before Mousa Al-Shammari leveled the score from the spot in the 78th minute. However, it was only one minute later that Chermiti sealed the win for Ittihad.

Al-Ittihad is third on 23 points, while Al-Raed remains in the bottom with six points.

In another match, Al-Qadasiya edged 1-0 over its guest Najran at Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Stadium.

Sultan Al-Yami scored the only goal of the game in the second minute of the encounter that was marked by 10 yellow cards - five for each team.
Al-Qadasiya is 9th on 11 points, while Najran is 11th on seven.

Owairan strike 3rd among top 10 Cup goals

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Prince Sultan Bin Fahd, President of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare (GPYW), received Monday in his office in Riyadh the former Saudi national football player Saeed Al-Owairan who earned the distinction of scoring one of the top 10 great goals in World Cup Finals.

The Telegraph and World Soccer Magazine, which teamed up to find out the greatest goals of World Cup Finals, have recorded Owairan’s goal against Belgium in the first round of World Cup 1994 at the RFK stadium as the third best.

The Daily Telegraph said in its report that despite the exit in the second round Saudis left the USA World Cup with their heads high due to that strike of Al-Owairan – which earned him the nickname “The Maradona of the Arabs”. However, the real Maradona’s goal against England in 1986 came first. The second was again by Maradona in the same ‘86 World Cup against Belgium.

After losing the opener 2-1 to Holland Saudi Arabia beat Morocco by the same score and needed just a draw against Belgium to ensure qualification for the second round.

But Saudis did better. Just five minutes after the kick-off Owairan took possession deep inside the Saudi half, looked up and dribbled the ball forward and Belgians fell back, waiting for him to pass the ball. Owairan, instead, continued his way towards the goal and fired past goalkeeper Michel Preud’homme.

Owairan scored 24 goals in 50 international appearances and was also a member of the Saudi squad at the 1998 World Cup.

Prince Sultan congratulated Owairan and also offered prize money for what he has contributed to the Saudi sports.

The meeting was also attended by Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal, Deputy President of the GPYW.

Al-Hilal 5 points clear at the top

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Hilal increased its lead in the Saudi Zain Professional League after defeating host Najran 2-1 at the conclusion of Round 13 at Al-Okhdoud Club Stadium Sunday.

The 37-year-old striker Al-Hasan Al-Yami scored an early goal for Najran in the 8th minute. Yami dribbled into the box before kicking into the right corner of goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Deayea.

Al-Hilal’s Romanian midfielder Meriel Radoi shot from outside the box in the 24th minute to level the score. Hilal coach Gerets noticed the ineffectiveness of his striker Eisa Al-Muhiyyani and replaced him with Nawaf Al-Abed in the 38th minute. The two teams ended the first half with one goal each.

In the 87th minute, South Korean defender, Young Lee sent a perfect cross to Al-Abed who headed into the goal.

Al-Hilal is now on top of the standing with five points clear of runner-up Al-Shabab. Najran is 11th with seven points.

Al-Shabab shared two goals with its host Al-Wehdah at King Abdul Aziz Sports City Stadium.

Shabab thus lost two important points, missing the chance to catch the leader Al-Hilal.

Libyan midfielder Tariq Al-Ta’ib scored for the guest in the 76th minute. While the Wehdah supporters were about to leave their seats, their Moroccan midfielder Rafiq Abdul-Samad scored an equalizer in the 90th minute.

After this draw, Al-Shabab is second on the table with 30 points while Al-Wehdah is fifth with 17.

In another match, a goal by Rayyan Bilal gave Al-Nasr three points from its encounter against Al-Ittifaq at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium.

The two teams started the match cautiously. However, they were not lucky enough to score.

The best chance for the guest came when Yahiya Al-Shihri entered the box and kicked toward the goal, but the ball hit the bar.

Al-Nasr performance improved and its players started attacking the goal. Midfielder Khaled Al-Zaila’ee came from the right side to send a cross into the box where Bilal escaped the defenders to head in to the goal from a gliding position.

Al-Nasr is seventh on the standing with 15 points while Ittifaq is 12th with nine points.

Saudia’s Abha-Cairo flights in two weeks

Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA) direct flights from Abha to Cairo and back will start in two weeks, it was announced here Friday.

According to Saeed Al-Furayeh, General Manager for Passenger Services and Sales in the Southern region, the new air route connecting Abha regional airport directly to Cairo airport and back will be made operational starting from the beginning of the new year.

Earlier in May, Khaled Al-Mohlem, SAA Director General, said the route would enable people in the Asir region and neighboring areas to travel easily to Egypt and to receive travelers from there.

The region’s general manager added that there will be four direct air flights to and from Cairo. “Passengers can choose to travel to Cairo from Abha airport on either Thursdays or Sundays of every week at 8.30 A.M.,” he said.

He added that there would be two more flights from Cairo International Airport to Abha regional Airport on the same days but at different times. “Cairo flights will arrive in Abha at 11.15 P.M. on Thursdays and Sundays,” he said.

Al-Furayeh pointed out that SAA noticed the increasing demand for flights on that air route. Thus, it decided to increase its flights to 35 during the period June to October this year.
“These flights have transported about 7,242 passengers. They have helped us offer better services to both citizens and residents of the Asir region and its neighboring areas,” Al-Furayeh said.
According to Al-Furayeh, Abha airport achieved an increase in the number of its passengers during the period January to November 2009 registering a seven percent increase compared to the same period in 2008.

Ashour bags title

Photo caption: The new title holder, Ramy Ashour.

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – A new Egyptian squash era started Friday night when the 22-year-old Ramy Ashour won over England’s Nick Matthew in the final of the Saudi International Squash Tournament at the Sunset Beach in Al-Khobar.

Ashour clinched the PSA World Tour Super Series title after defeating England’s third seed Nick Matthew in a dramatic 110-minute final. The 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8 win ensured that Ashour would also become No. 1 in the PSA world rankings in January 2010 for the first time.

According to Alex Gough, Professional Squash Association (PSA) CEO the match was the most incredible and most tense he has seen in a long time.
Both Ashour and Matthew were eyeing up the winner’s check of $37,400 and the next world No. 1 ranking.

After Ashour took the first game, Matthew came back in the second after winning five points in a row from 6-7 down.
Ashour led through most of the third, but Matthew saved two games balls from 8-10 down after two sensational rallies before the pressure got to him as he made a costly error to give Ashour a confidence-boosting 2/1 lead.

The young Ashour scored six quick points in the fourth to reach 8-4 and just three points from the title, seemed in control.

Playing his best squash of the match, Matthew refused to give up and dug deep to claim the next seven points in succession to force a decider.

Incredibly, again Ashour moved ahead to 8-4 in the fifth game and again Matthew mounted a rear-guard action to reduce the deficit, winning the eighth point after sending Ashour scurrying to the back corner where he slipped and hit the glass wall of the court, after which he asked for a three-minute injury break.

He was back in less than three minutes to take the next two points to seal his longest-ever, historic victory.

After the match, Ashour said that he and Matthew have played well.
He also confessed that the match was probably his career’s toughest match.

Ahli prevails over Hazm to regain 4th place in Zain League

By Mohammed Al-Kinani


JEDDAH – Al-Ahli regained the fourth place of the Saudi Zain Professional League after defeating its guest Al-Hazm 2-1 in a Round 13 match at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium Saturday.

The Argentine striker Javier Tulido put the host in the lead early, before Waleed Al-Jaizani equalized from the spot. Tulido sealed the win when he converted a controversial penalty.

Al-Ahli started pressing from the beginning and skipper Mohammed Mus’ad sent a cross to Tulido who headed the ball into the goal before goalkeeper Ahmed Al-Harbi, who moved from his position, could reach it.

In the 37th minute, Al-Ahli defender’s hand-ball led to a penalty kick for Al-Hazm. Al-Jaizani shot the ball into the right corner of Al-Ahli goalkeeper Yasser Al-Mosaylem.

In the second half, the two teams missed a number of opportunities to score. In the 67th minute, Tulido succeeded to score from the spot. The winner is now fourth with 18 points while Al-Hazm is eighth (12).

A late goal by Sultan Al-Numari made title holder Al-Ittihad share the spoils 3-3 with its host Al-Qadisyyah at Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium.

Ali Al-Shihri put Al-Qadisyyah in the lead when he kicked strongly from outside the box in the 15th minute. Eight minutes later, Argentine striker equalized for Al-Ittihad when he scored from a foul kick.

Host’s Julian Cominges headed in off a corner kick in the 38th minute. The first half ended 2-1 in favor of Al-Qadisyyah.

In the 71 minute, Hamad Al-Muntashiri’s kick from outside the area was going out, but Amine Al-Chermiti managed to deflect it into the goal.

In the 81st minute, Al-Ittihad defender Rashed Al-Raheeb brought down host’s Mubarak Al-Asmari.
The referee immediately pointed to the spot and sent Al-Raheeb out. Cominges put the ball into the right corner of Al-Ittihad goalkeeper Tayseer Al-Nutaif.

However, Cominges soon saw the red card and Al-Ittihad was given a penalty kick. Al-Qadisyyah goalkeeper Fahd Al-Shammari blocked the careless kick of skipper Mohammed Noor.
A minute later, Al-Numari saved the situation for Al-Ittihad when he kicked from outside the area. His shot deceived the goalkeeper when it hit one of Al-Qadisyyah defenders and into the goal.

With this draw, Al-Ittihad is still third with 20 points while Al-Qadisyyah is tenth (8).

In another match, Al-Fateh defeated its guest Al-Ra’id 2-0 at Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium.

The two goals came late through Ahmed Bu-Obaid who scored from the spot in the 85th minute before Emmanuel sealed the win in the 92nd minute.

Al-Fateh is now fifth with 17 points while Al-Ra’id is in the bottom of the standing with six points.

It’s Matthew vs. Ashour

Photo caption: The 22-year-old Egyptian squasher, Ramy Ashour.

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – England’s Nick Matthew and Egypt’s Ramy Ashour Thursday entered the final of the Saudi International Squash Tournament at the Sunset Beach in Al-Khobar.

Besides the cash prize that either Ashour or Matthew will be awarded, the winner will become No. 1 in the first PSA world rankings of 2010.

Nick Matthew, the first Englishman to make the Saudi final, reached the 30th PSA Tour final of his career when he beat England teammate Adrian Grant 11-3, 3-11, 11-6, 11-7 in the first semifinal. Despite suffering from food poisoning, left-handed Londoner Grant – competing in his first Super Series semi – extended third seed Matthew for 61 minutes.

Top seed Ramy Ashour was in sensational form in the second semifinal, where he fought back in the second game to beat experienced Australian David Palmer, the 33-year-old fourth seed, 11-8, 14-12, 11-3 in 38 minutes. Palmer has appeared four times in the Saudi semifinals and was bidding to make the final for the first time.

Ashour said that the tournament is the biggest event, the biggest prize money and it is the biggest in everything.

Describing the final match, the Egyptian said it is going to be the most important match for him and believed that it is of the same importance to Nick Matthew. He added that the only thing he could do is that he does his best.

Ashour pointed out that it was in his mind that his opponent Palmer was older and more experienced that he himself was, but he also trusted his fitness energetic performance.

The Saudi International is celebrating its fifth year as one of the leading events on the PSA World Tour – and for the fifth time, the winner will go on to top the world rankings.

The final will be Ashour and Matthew’s eighth career PSA World Tour clash. It will also be the pair’s third final meeting this year, and only eight days after Ashour clinched victory in the climax of the PSA Masters in India. Ashour currently boasts a 4-3 lead, but it was Matthew who prevailed when they last met in Saudi Arabia, in the quarterfinals in December 2008.

Big guns reach last 4 at Khobar squash event

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Ramy Ashour of Egypt reached the semifinals of the Saudi International Squash Championship after beating compatriot Mohammed El-Shorbagy 11-3, 12-10, 11-3 in Khobar Wednesday.

The win put Ashour in a tough confrontation against Australian David Palmer, who advanced beating Thierry Lincou of France 11-5, 11-8, 5-11, 11-5.

Ashour, the 22-year-old Egyptian who arrived here following his PSA Masters victory in Mumbai, had overcame his older brother Hisham Ashour, 11-8, 11-5, 11-5, in the first round before defeating Alister Walker of England 12-10, 11-8, 11-5 in the next round.

The Australian Palmer had beaten compatriot Cameron Pilley 11-5, 10-12, 3-11, 11-1, 11-3 in his first round encounter. He then overcame his countryman Stewart Boswell 11-4, 11-9, 11-5.

Elsewhere Adrian Grant (ENG) beat Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 13-11 to qualify for the semifinals. Grant will now take on his countryman Nick Matthew in a clash which will guarantee the first English finalist in the five-year history of the Saudi championship.

Grant had earlier won his encounter against Amr Swelim (ITA) 11-8, 11-5, 11-2 to set up a meeting against Pakistan’s Farhan Mehboob, a nephew of the legendary Jansher Khan. Grant beat Mehboob 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7.

Englishman Nick Mathew also qualified for the semifinals beating Wa’il El-Hindi 11-8, 11-8, 4-11, 11-9.
Mathew had won his first-round encounter against Omar Musa’ad (EGY) 11-6, 11-2, 8-11, 11-2 before knocking out compatriot James Willstrop 11-8, 11-8, 4-11, 11-9.

Matthew continues unbeaten run

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – England’s Nick Matthew continued his unbeaten Tour run against James Willstrop to four wins over two years when he beat his compatriot to reach the quarterfinals of the $250,000 PSA World Tour Super Series Squash Championship in Saudi Arabia – the final major event of the year at Sunset Beach in Al-Khobar.

It was a tense and tough encounter. Third seed Matthew took the first two games but fellow Willstrop, the No. 9 seed who is only two places lower in the world rankings, fought back to take the third.
But Matthew regrouped in the fourth to win at 11-8, 11-8, 4-11, 11-9.

The 29-year-old from Sheffield is on course to become world No. 1 for the first time in the January rankings – but must reach the semifinals and stay ahead of his only rival Ramy Ashour, the 22-year-old Egyptian who beat him in last week’s PSA Masters final in India.

Matthew will now face seventh seed Wa’el El Hindi for a place in the semifinals after the Egyptian beat English qualifier Jonathan Kemp 11-7, 11-9, 11-2.

There were mixed fortunes for Englishmen in the earlier second round matches: Eighth seed Adrian Grant was extended for 71 minutes by Pakistan’s 14th seed Farhan Mehboob before beating his fellow left-hander 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7.

Meanwhile qualifier Joey Barrington was unable to take advantage of his surprise place in the last 16 after the mid-match retirement of second seed Amr Shabana in the their first round clash. Aamir Atlas Khan, the 15th seed from Pakistan, was too strong for the 29-year-old from Somerset, winning 11-2, 11-4, 11-8 in just 30 minutes.

According to Ziyad Al-Turki, Head of the Professional Squash Association PSA, Saudi Arabia is organizing the international competition for the fifth time.
“The professional organization has given Saudi Arabia the right to host the coming Squash World Championship 2010,” he said. He also said that the goal of organizing such events is not only to hold international championships, but also to spread the game in the Kingdom through junior players.
“We also aim to enhance the skills of the Saudi referees through training courses on the sidelines of the tournament,” he added.
Second round results: Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Joey Barrington (ENG) 11-2, 11-4, 11-8; Adrian Grant (ENG) bt Farhan Mehboob (PAK) 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7; Nick Matthew (ENG) bt James Willstrop (ENG) 11-8, 11-8, 4-11, 11-9; Wael El Hindi (EGY) bt Jonathan Kemp (ENG) 11-7, 11-9, 11-2.

Shabab three points behind leader Hilal

By Mohammed Al-Kinani


JEDDAH – Al-Shabab continued chasing the Zain Saudi Professional League leader with a 1-0 win over Najran at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium Wednesday.

Striker Nasser Al-Shamrani scored the lone goal to help Shabab increase its tally to 29 points, three behind leader Al-Hilal.

The Libyan midfielder Tariq Al-Ta’ib passed the ball behind the defenders to the advancing Al-Shamrani who kicked it over the goalkeeper, Jaber Al-Amery, in the 18th minute.

Although Shabab dominated the match, it failed to increase the lead since Najran keeper was also at his best.

Najran performance improved in the last 10 minutes but its players could not change the result. Najran sits 10th in the league standing with seven points. The team has a difficult match against Hilal, whose coach Eric Gerets was present at the match taking notes.

In another match at the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium, Al-Wehdah beat ten-man Al-Ittifaq 3-1 to remove Al-Ahli from the fourth place.

Squash event kicks off in Khobar

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Pakistan’s Aamir Atlas beat his Indian rival Saurav Ghosal 11-5, 11-9 and 11-4 in the first day of action at the Fifth Saudi International Squash Tournament in Khobar Sunday.

On behalf of Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of the Western Province, Zarib Bin Saeed Al-Qahtani, Assistant Governor of the Western Province, inaugurated the event earlier in the day.
There were no surprises on the day as the classified players have been given bye to the round of 16.
Saudi Arabia is hosting the international 7-day event that will conclude on Friday. 32 players from 11 countries are taking place in the $250.000-prize tournament

The events of the first day witnessed no surprises since the international classified players qualified to the 16th round.
The results are as follows:

The Pakistani Aamir Atlas Khan won over the Indian $11-5, 11-9 and 11-4.

Adrian Grant, from England defeated the Italian Amr Swelim 11-8, 11-5 and 11-2.

The Pakistani Farhan Mahboub won his match against the French Steve Jaliven 11-5, 11-0 and 11-0.

Nick Mathew, from England, classified third in the competition, defeated the Egyptian Omar Mas’ad 11-6, 11-2, 8-11 and 11-2.

James Willstrop, England, defeated Olli Tuominen, Finland, 11-7, 11-5 and 11-3.

The Egyptian Wa’il Al-Hindi defeated the Italian Davide Bianchetti 11-4, 10-12, 12-10 and 11-0.

Jonathan Kemp, England won over Laurens Jan Anjema of Holland 11-6, 5-11, 11-7 and 11-3.

The Malaysian Ong Pong Hee defeated the Australian Aaron Frankcomb 11-4, 11-7, and 11-6.

Thierry Lincou, French won over the Egyptian Mohammed Ali Anwar 9-11, 11-3, 11-6 and 11-0.

The Australian Stewart Boswell defeated the English player Tom Richard 11-4, 11-9, 6-11 and 11-5.

David Palmer of Australia beat compatriot Cameron Pilley 11-5, 10-12, 3-11, 11-1 and 11-3.

Peter Parker of England won over the Saudi player Naif Abu Raqqah 11-6, 11-7 and 11-9.

Mohammed Al-Shorbagy of Egypt won over the South African Stephen Coppinger 11-4, 11-2 and 11-7.

Alister Walker of England defeated his compatriot Daryl Selby 11-4, 11-5 and 11-5.

The Egyptian Ramy Ashour, classified first in the tournament, defeated his fellow citizen Hisham Ashour 11-8, 11-5 and 11-5.

The English Joey Barrington won his encounter against his Egyptian opponent, Amr Shabana, who is classified second in the tournament. Shabana withdrew due to back injury.

Hilal in quarters

By Mohammed Al-KinaniSaudi Gazette


JEDDAH – Al-Hilal qualified for the quarterfinals of Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup after sharing the spoils 2-2 with Al-Nasr at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium Saturday.

Salman Al-Faraj put Al-Hilal in the lead after five minutes before Shafi Al-Dousari increased the margin in the 31st minute.

Abdullah Al-Dousari of Al-Hilal brought down Nasr striker Mohammed Al-Sahlawi in the second half. Sahlawi scored from the spot 10 minutes after the break. Rayyan Bilal equalized for Al-Nasr through a pass from Sahlawi 10 minutes from time. Al-Hilal tops Group A with 20 points. Nasr (16) can only advance if Hilal beats Shabab (19 points) and Nasr itself beats Al-Shua’lah.

In Tabuk, Al-Shabab beat host Al-Watani 2-1 at King Khaled Sports City Stadium.

Al-Ahli also advanced beating host Al-Wehdah 3-2. It is on top of Group C with 19 points.

Although beaten 1-0 by Al-Ittifaq, Al-Fateh has already advanced with 18 points. Al-Khaleej (14) and Al-Ittifaq encounters against Hejr and Al-Qadisyyah respectively will decide the other team.

In other matches, Al-Ittihad shared two goals with its host Al-Ansar in Madina; Al-Ta’awon beat Al-Hazm 2-1; Al-Ra’id beat Al-Faisali 3-1; Hejr beat Al-Qadisyyah 3-1; Al-Ittifaq edged Al-Fateh 1-0; Al-Khaleej thrashed Al-Adalah 4-0; while Al-Shua’lah drew Al-Riyadh 0-0.

Suspended players get a reprieve

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Prince Sultan Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, President of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, Friday issued a general pardon for all suspended players, administrators and referees in all sports.

The reprieve comes on the occasion of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz’s safe return to the Kingdom.

Al-Shabab and Al-Ittihad have greatly benefited from the decision since four of Shabab players have been suspended for receiving either three yellow cards each or due to a disciplinary committee’s decision. These are Ahmed Otaif, Sanad Sharaheeli and Nasser Al-Shamrani.

However, goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah was punished with a disciplinary committee decision.

On the other hand, Ittihad skipper Mohammed Noor received three yellow cards and a red card that resulted in his suspension for three matches.

His teammate, Hicham Abu Cherouane, received a third yellow card during his team’s recent encounter against Al-Hilal Thursday.

Ali Zubara of Najran is also a beneficiary of the pardon.

Hilal routs Ittihad 5-0 to increase lead

By Mohammed Al-Kinani


JEDDAH – Thiago Neves scored a hat trick while Christian Wilhelmsson netted a double as Al-Hilal routed Al-Ittihad 5-0 in Saudi Zain Professional League at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium Thursday.

Both the sides launched attacks against each other from the start. But the absence of skipper Mohammed Noor along with the Tunisian striker Amine Chermiti from the lineup was too much for the Ittihad team to bear.

Ittihad was the first team to make an attempt on the rival’s goal in the fifth minute through Sultan Al-Numari, but Hilal keeper Mohammed Al-Deayea kept him at bay.

Two minutes later, Abdullah Al-Zouri sent a pass through Al-Ittihad defenders to Wilhelmsson, who direct it into the Ittihad goal without giving keeper Mabrouk Za’id time to block it.

Talal Al-Mish’al of Ittihad counter-attacked a minute later, but Deayea did well to push it over the bar. Ittihad was again unlucky to score a goal when Hicham Abu Cherouane’s shot in the 28th minute hit the right post of Deayea.

Hilal on the other hand kept on increasing its tally. Brazilian Neves doubled Hilal’s lead in the 37th minute by tapping on to a perfect cross from the dynamic Swedish midfielder Wilhelmsson. Ittihad keeper Zaid was certainly not himself as he would have saved it on any other night.

The second half saw Ittihad’s coach Gabriel Calderon make an adventurous change when he replaced defender Obaid Al-Shamrani with striker Luciano Leguizamon. Calderon paid the price in the 55th minute when Neves shot from outside the box to increase the lead.

Neves completed his hat trick three minutes later when Yasser Al-Qahtani dribbled past Ittihad players and sent a nice pass to Neves, who controlled the ball before putting it behind Za’id.

Saud Kariri of Ittihad hit a powerful kick from outside the area in the 76th minute but only found the bar. Hilal, however, was still able to find its fifth goal in the 83rd minute through Wilhelmsson.

Hilal coach Eric Gerets then replaced Wilhelmsson and Neves with Eisa Al-Muhiyyani and Omar Al-Ghamdi.

Al-Hilal is on top of the standings at the end of round 11 with 29 points. It is followed by Al-Shabab on 26 points with Al-Ittihad taking the third spot on 18 points, but with two matches in hand. Al-Wehdah is fourth (13 points), while Al-Fateh is fifth (also on 13 points – with a 4-goal difference), followed by Al-Ahli (12).

In another match, Al-Ahli shared two goals with Al-Fateh at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.

Rabea’a Al-Sufiyani put Al-Fateh in the lead eight minutes after the break. Mohammed Al-Sifri scored for Ahli in the 78th minute.

The match saw a rare situation when the referee, Yahiya Hazzazi, fell unconscious eight minutes before time. Although he gained consciousness soon after, he was replaced with the fourth official, Abdurrahman Al-Amri.

Elsewhere, Al-Ittifaq defeated its host Najran 3-1 at Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium.

Anas Bin Yaseen scored from the spot for the guest team in the 12th minute before Abdurrahman Al-Qahtani equalized also from the spot in the 35th minute.

Yousuf Al-Salem increased the margin a minute after the break. In the 54th minute Yahiya Al-Shihri sealed the win for Al-Ittifaq.

With one match in hand, Al-Ittifaq is ninth with nine points, while Najran is tenth with seven points.

Al-Shabab shares lead

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Shabab recorded an important 3-0 win over its host Al-Qadsiyyah in Round 11 of the Saudi Zain Professional League at Prince Saudi Bin Jalawi Sports City Wednesday.

Angolan striker, Amado Flavio put Al-Shabab in the lead in the 71st minute. Eight minutes later, Nasser Al-Shamrani increased the lead before the Angolan Flavio sealed the win in the 91st minute.

Both Al-Shabab and Al-Hilal have now 26 points each, but the former is second in the standing with a six-goal difference. However, the league leader has a tough match against title holder Al-Ittihad Thursday.

Al-Nasr, on the other hand, played to a goalless draw with host Al-Ra’id at King Abdullah Sports City in Buraidah.

Unlike Al-Nasr, Al-Ra’id, with six points in the bottom of the list, put up a good performance and threatened its opponent’s goal several times.

The five draws of Al-Nasr have raised a big question mark over the ability of the team. The team is now sixth in the standing with 11 points and two matches in hand.

In another match, Al-Wehdah made a big leap to the fourth place after winning over its host Al-Hazm 2-1 at Al-Hazm Club Stadium. Waleed Al-Jaizani scored in the 10th minute for the host. The host succeeded to end the first half with that result.

In the 74th minute, Moroccan striker of Al-Wehdah, Yousuf Kaddioui, scored the equalizer before Mohammed Al-Kaltham, defender of Al-Hazm, scored an own goal in the 83rd minute.

Al-Hazm is eighth with 11 points. Each team still has one match in hand.

Children of martyrs, flood-hit to get admission into TVTC centers

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH - Sons and daughters of martyrs of the Jizan military action against infiltrators from Yemen and the Jeddah flood disaster can now gain immediate admission to all technical and vocational training centers, starting from the second academic term.

This was announced Tuesday by Dr. Ali Bin Nasser Al-Ghufais, Governor of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), who issued directives to all technical and communications colleges, vocational and industrial institutes and higher girls’ institutions.

“The decision comes in response to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ directives to exert all efforts to help the families of those who gave their lives in protecting the Kingdom from the infiltrators and those who died when floodwaters hit Jeddah,” Al-Ghufais said.

He added that the admission of these students will be through the TVTC centers directly through the training units.

According to Al-Ghufais, despite the end of the online registration period, the admission has been exceptionally opened.

He also expressed his condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and to the families of the deceased soldiers and the victims of the Jeddah floods.

Disabled volunteers offer a helping hand

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – After floods ravaged parts of Jeddah last month, many families were left without homes or, even worse, with missing or deceased family members. Many community volunteers of all ages, both genders and various nationalities are working together to attempt to overcome the effects of this catastrophe. And disabled children are also doing their part to assist those affected by the floods.

Disabled children from the Help Center are among the volunteers lending a helping hand at Al-Harithy Exhibition Center. Eight adolescent boys and girls accompanied by supervisors from the center on Monday were helping to sort out the large amount of supplies, food, blankets, and other donations that are being delivered by individuals, companies and factories in Jeddah.

Speaking about the efforts of the disabled children, Reem Gazzaz, Assistant Director, Office of Advancement and Development at the Help Center, said that volunteers are working hand in hand in a time of crisis to offer aid to those in need. “Our children were also there to help.

This is clear evidence that they are capable of being active and productive members of the community,” she said.

She added that the participation of the disabled children is a practical way to develop their social, self-reliance and communication skills.
“We are thankful for the work that they have done today, and we stand in admiration of the accomplishments of our children and their families,” she added.

She also added that altruistic volunteerism demonstrates the ability of people with special or intellectual disabilities to contribute in various societal situations, be they crisis management circumstances or habitual conditions in society.

The most important thing that these disabled children require is the chance to prove what they can do.
“Who said we are incapable? We are capable of working within our limits,” a volunteering boy said when asked whether he could really help.

Saudi teams figure in different groups

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – The four Saudi representatives to the 2010 AFC Champions League figure in different groups when the draws were held at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur Monday.

The 32 teams were divided into eight groups of four, split into West and East zones, with all opponents playing each other at home and away.

Al-Ittihad, Al-Shabab, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli qualified to the Asian championship following their fine performances in their 2008 local competitions.

The Asian draw put Al-Ahli in Group A along with Al-Gharafa of Qatar, Al-Jazira of UAE and the 1991 title holder Esteghlal of Iran.

The 2004 and 2005 winner and 2009 runner-up Al-Ittihad is in Group B with Zobahan of Iran, Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan and the play-off winner of the west.

Al-Shabab figures in Group C with 2003 title holder Al- Ain of the UAE, Sepahan of Iran and Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan.

Al-Hilal, 1992 and 2000 winner is in Group D along with the 1989 title holder Al-Sadd of Qatar, Al-Ahli of the UAE and Mes of Iran.

Group E of the eastern teams included Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma of Korea, Melbourne Victory (AUS), Beijing Guoan (CHN) and Kawasaki Frontale (JPN).
Kashima Antlers (JPN), Jeonbuk Motors (KOR), Persipura Jayapura (IDN) and Changchun Yatai (CHN) came in Group F.

Meanwhile, Group G included Henan Jianye (CHN), Gamba Osaka (JPN), Suwon Bluewings (KOR) and the east play-off winner.

The 1997, 1998 and 2009 winner Pohang Steelers of Korea is in Group H with Adelaide United (AUS), Shandong Luneng (CHN) and the winner of the Japanese Emperor’s Cup which will be determined on Jan 1.

The teams will play home and away matches in round 32 before the winners move to the 16-team knockout stage.

The AFC Champions League is the modern premier Asian club football competition organized annually by Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The tournament is contested among the top 30 clubs from top 10 Asian leagues joined with two more clubs qualified through the playoffs.

Al-Fateh and Abha enter quarterfinals

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Fateh and Abha entered the quarterfinals of Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup competition after beating Al-Khaleej and Hitteen respectively Sunday.

Al-Fateh won over its host Al-Khaleej 3-2 in a Group B match while Abha defeated its host Hitteen 2-1 in Group E.

Three teams of Group E are out of the competition after Abha qualified to the quarterfinals. According to the regulations of the competition, only one team qualifies from E Group which consists of four teams. However, Dhamak defeated its guest Najran 4-1 in the same group.

Al-Hilal thrashed its guest Al-Watani 5-2 to make it 19 points while runner-up Al-Shabab defeated its guest Al-Shua’lah 1-0 to tally 16 points.
Al-Nasr, third in the group, defeated its host Al-Riyadh 2-1 to keep its hopes alive to qualify.

In Group B matches, Al-Ittifaq defeated Hejr 2-0. The winner is now second in the group with 11 points. With ten points, Al-Adalah jumped to the fourth place in the group after defeating Al-Qadisyyah 2-1.

In Group C matches, Al-Ahli leads with 16 points after defeating Al-Ansar 2-1. Al-Wehdah came second by defeating Ohud 4-3. The group runner-up has got 10 points so far with one match in hand.

Al-Ta’ee snatched the lead in group D after winning a difficult match against Al-Faisaly 1-0. Al-Ta’awon shared two goals with Al-Ra’id in the same group. With one match in hand, Al-Ta’awon is second with nine points.

Ten-man Ittihad beats Ahli

By Mohammed Al-Kinani


JEDDAH – The ten-man Al-Ittihad defeated its city rival Al-Ahli 2-1 in a derby match of round 10 of the Saudi Zain Professional League at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium Saturday.

The Tunisian striker Amine Chermiti put Al-Ittihad in the lead with an early goal. Substitute Ali Al-Zubaidi increased the margin before Javier Toledo of Al-Ahli scored in the last second of the added time of the second half.

Al-Ittihad succeeded to overcome its thorny technical situation due to the absence of its three key players – skipper Mohammed Noor, Ridha Tukar and Saud Kariri. What worsened the situation were the injury to its goalkeeper Mabrouk Za’id, who was replaced with Tayseer Al-Nutaif, and the sending off of its forward Chermiti midway through the second half.

However, midfielder Manaf Abu Shugair made a perfect pass into the box to Chermiti who shot into the goal. Abu Shugair gave the same pass to Al-Zubaidi who was also in the same place and did the same thing in the 84th minute. The only goal of Al-Ahli came through a cross from Mansour Al-Harbi to Toledo who punched into the goal in 30 seconds before the end of the three-minute extratime.

With that win Al-Ittihad increased its points to 18 and is still third in the standing behind Al-Hilal (26) and Al-Shabab (23). However, Al-Ittihad has two matches in hand. Al-Ahli is fifth with 11 points and one match in hand.

At the Western Region, Al-Qadisyyah shared two goals with its rival Al-Ittifaq at Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium.

Hilal and Shabab share points in Riyadh match

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Hilal and Al-Shabab shared four goals in the Saudi Zain Profession League at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium Thursday.

The league leader, Hilal and the runner-up, Shabab have put up an excellent match that ended 2-2 to keep the standing unchanged.

Shabab started pressing forward to earn an early goal. A header from Shabab striker Nasser Al-Shamrani just missed the goal. Abdul Aziz Al-Sa’aran lost a real chance to score in the 18th minute.

Shabab defenders made serious mistakes outside their zone. Neves of Hilal, who is known for his skilful kicks to score from outside the box, kicked twice. His first shot hit the post but the second went into the right corner of the Shabab goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah.
Shalhoub received the ball outside the area in the 38th minute. Shabab defenders expected that the midfielder would make a pass. Instead, Shalhoub kicked to score the second goal.

In the 46th minute, Al-Hilal former player Tariq Al-Ta’ib passed to Nasser Al-Shamrani who kicked but Deayea foiled the attempt. The ball found Camacho who tapped it home.

Shabab defenders continued making mistakes outside. The giant goalkeeper of Shabab succeeded to block a strong kick by the Hilal’s Romanian midfielder, Meriel Radoi.

In the 68th minute, Hilal Korean right defender, Young Lee brought down the Angolan striker of Shabab. Nasser Al-Shamrani kicked from the spot. Deayea blocked the ball to find Camacho scoring again.

With this draw, Hilal is still on top of the league with 26 points followed by Shabab (23). points. Title holder, Al-Ittihad is third with 15 points.

In another match, Al-Hazm defeated its host Najran 4-2 at Al-Okhdoud Club Stadium.

Ittifaq defeats Ittihad 2-1

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Ittifaq defeated its guest Al-Ittihad 2-1 in their postponed match of the Saudi Zain Professional League at Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium Tuesday.

It was not only Al-Ittifaq which enjoyed the taste of victory over the title holder, but the league leader Al-Hilal (25 points) and Al-Shabab (22) also benefited from Al-Ittihad’s failure to collect points.

Mohammed Noor put Al-Ittihad in the lead in the 21st minute by heading in a Hicham Aboucherouane’s cross.

In the second half, Abdurrahman Al-Qahtani scored from the spot in the 59th minute after Al-Ittifaq striker Hamad Al-Hamad was brought down by Al-Ittihad defender Ahmed Hadeed.

About 10 minutes later, Ittifaq striker Hussein Al-Nej’e scored the winning goal.

The match witnessed aggressive performance from many members of both teams. Referee Abdurrahman Al-Amri flashed five cards at each team. Two of these were red shown to Al-Ittihad midfielders Mohammed Noor and Saud Kariri.

Kariri was sent off in the 62nd minutes while Noor was red-carded in the 95th minute.

Al-Ittihad is in the third place with 15 points with two matches in hand while Al-Ittifaq stays at the bottom with five points and one match in hand.

Al-Nasr and Al-Ittifaq win GCC matches

By Mohammed Al-Kinani


JEDDAH – The Saudi representatives in the GCC Club Championship, Al-Nasr and Al-Ittifaq, won their fifth round matches against Al-Khor of Qatar and Al-Orouba of Oman respectively.

Al-Nasr defeated Al-Khor 4-0 at Al-Khor Stadium to top Group B and qualify for the semifinals.

Saud Al-Hamad put his team in the lead in the 15th minute before Husain Abdul-Ghani failed to score from the spot in the 28th minute. The first half ended 1-0.

Five minutes after the break, Korean midfielder, Lee Chun-soo, scored another goal before the Argentinean midfielder V?ctor Alberto Figueroa increased the score in the 63rd minute.

Ten minutes later, Khalid Al-Zayla’e sealed the win. With ten points, Al-Nasr is on top of its group.

In Oman, Al-Ittifaq succeeded to keep its hopes for qualifying to the next round of the competition. The team defeated its host Al-Orouba of Oman in Group C 1-0. Hamad Al-Hamad scored in the 33rd minute.

Al-Ittifaq also topped its group with seven points.

Al-Ittifaq needs to wait for the crucial match of Al-Orouba and Qatar 13 days ahead. The team would lose its opportunity to qualify to the semis if Qatar wins over Al-Orouba.

Indonesian pilgrims sacrifice before Eid

By Mohammed Al-Kinani


JEDDAH – Indonesian pilgrims are going against Islamic teachings and creating unhygienic conditions by sacrificing animals before the day of Eid, said Dr. Saudi Al-Hatreeshy, Director of Slaughter Houses in the Makkah Region.

He said that many Indonesians believe that slaughtering sheep before the Day of Sacrifice is part of the Haj and that they would get a reward for this.

Al-Hatreeshy urged all Haj commissions to instruct their members on the correct Islamic teachings related to the sacred rituals of Haj.

The proper way to sacrifice animals during Haj is when pilgrims throw stones on the tenth day at Mina. Any other animal offering is not suggested.

“It is not part of the Haj rituals to slaughter an animal before the Day of Sacrifice,” said Sheikh Dr. Ali Bin Abbas Bin Othman Hakami, a member of the Council of Senior Ulema.

He pointed out that pilgrims can offer a “volunteering sacrifice”, but that this should not be before the obligatory one.

“We have not heard about animal sacrifice before the throwing of the stones. If a pilgrim wants to offer something for Allah’s rewards, he or she can do so on the day of Eid, which is called the Day of Sacrifice,” Hakami said.

Al-Hatreeshy added that this practice has seen some workers selling the meat to restaurants instead of giving it to poor people. Also, the animals are often slaughtered in unhygienic conditions. “The slaughtered sheep are normally left behind for the workers to hand them to needy people. What happens is that some workers at these slaughter houses sell the animals and benefit from the money,” he said.

What worsens the situation is that the carcasses of these sheep pile up at these slaughter houses which creates an unhealthy environment.

“Some 3,000 sheep are slaughtered every day, making a real mess of these houses. Contrary to what these pilgrims think, the sheep do not go to charity. Instead, they find their way to restaurants through some of these workers,” he added.

He said that the municipality has assigned 50 supervisors so that they can watch the slaughter houses in the Ka’akiya area.

“These inspectors are involved in monitoring the work at these houses, around the clock. They intensify their inspection tours at night,” he said.

Al-Hatreeshy said they have 19 veterinarians on duty whose main job is to ensure that the butchering process is tackled humanely and hygienically, and to make sure the animals are fit for human consumption.

Al-Hatreeshy pointed out that the municipality has taken all the necessary measures to ban the slaughtering of sheep outside official slaughter houses. “We have some 20 men who monitor whether any violations take place,” he said.

He added that the Municipality has also notified the contractors at the slaughter houses to make sure that all workers have valid residence permits and health certificates.

Free car repair service for pilgrims going to Makkah

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Pilgrims traveling to the holy places can now enjoy a free car repair service on the highways leading to Makkah.

The program was launched by Makkah’s Technical and Vocational Training Board (TVTB) to help drivers who experience any mechanical difficulty while carrying pilgrims.

According to Dr. Rashid Al-Zahrani, the service also allows trainees of the technical institutes and vocational centers in Makkah to gain more experience in fixing cars.
“We have made all the necessary security arrangements so that we can provide this service to the guests of Allah,” Zahrani said.

Al-Zahrani said the service is free of charge and will also be available for next year’s Haj. This will create more jobs, he added.

There are four vehicles, fully equipped with all safety, emergency and mechanical maintenance requirements.
“There are six trained technicians onboard each of these vehicles,” said Hasan Ghandoura, the program’s supervisor.
The teams have already helped to fix 335 vehicles.
“Some 228 vehicles were found to have minor problems. Another 53 were shipped to car repair centers for advanced maintenance,” he said.

Ghandoura stressed that the team works around the clock.
“Pilgrims traveling to Makkah can just call (0544797542) to receive help,” he said.

Shabab beats Ittihad 1-0

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – With a 1-0 win, Al-Shabab snatched three important points from its guest Al-Ittihad in a postponed match of the Saudi Zain League at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium Monday.

The Libyan midfielder Tariq Al-Ta’ib scored the only goal of the match nine minutes before the break.

The win increased Al-Shabab points to 22, just three behind the league leader Al-Hilal. However, Al-Ittihad, the title holder, still has three postponed matches to play. Al-Ittihad is third in the standing with 15 points.

In an exciting match, Al-Ra’id shared the spoils with its guest Najran 2-2 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.

Ahmed Sa’ad put Al-Ra’id in the lead in the 11th minute before Saleh Duwais of Najran scored an equalizer in the 20th minute. A minute later, Mohsin Al-Qarni increased the margin for Al-Ra’id, but Ahmed Hirmis succeeded to level the result in the 72nd minute.

With that result, Najran is ninth with seven points while Al-Ra’id is 11th with five points, with one match in hand.

Naif warns against disruption of Haj security

By Mohammed Al-Kinani
ARAFAT – Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior and Chairman of Supreme Haj Committee, warned Sunday against any attempts to disrupt the security and peace of this year’s Haj. “We will not tolerate any violation of the Haj security from any individual, group, or any other side,” Prince Naif said during a press conference in Arafat, 15 km outside of Makkah, following his inspection of the holy sites.

He hoped that the government would not “be obliged to resort to force” to maintain security during the Haj.

When asked about recent calls by Iranian figures for politicizing the Haj, Prince Naif said, “We have heard contradictory statements from the brothers in Iran, but the latest were favorable. The Iranian officials have arrived and we hope the brothers will just focus on their Haj rituals,” as ordained by Islam.

“The Kingdom will not allow anything to be done in the Haj other than what Allah has made permissible,” Prince Naif said.

“We wouldn’t accept for any pilgrim to be harmed,” he said.

Answering a question on the current military operations against infiltrator attacks along the border with Yemen, Prince Naif did not rule out cooperation between infiltrators and Al-Qaeda group in Yemen. The Kingdom has not made any communication with any side linked to armed infiltrators and “We are only communicating with the Yemeni government,” he said. Thousands of infiltrators who cross the Kingdom’s borders every year, especially during the Haj season, are usually arrested and sent back home, he said.

Prince Naif, who was accompanied by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, and Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs, inspected security preparations of the Haj and new Haj projects including the SR4.2 billion Jamarat Bridge.

Forces tasked with the Haj security marched in a parade featuring military displays before Prince Naif.

The annual parade of the Haj force has always been a military enterprise where all government security departments take part. The 100,000-member strong Haj force will work around-the- clock to ensure a safe and smooth Haj as planned, said Gen. Saeed Al-Qahtani, Chief of General Security.

The government has completed important Haj projects including the 5-floor Jamarat Bridge to ease congestion when performing the stoning ritual and the expansion of the Mas’a inside the Grand Mosque, he said. Other vital Haj projects including the monorail and the expansion of the northern plaza of the Grand Mosque are progressing as planned, Al-Qahtani added.

Qadisiyyah, Hazm share two goals

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Qadisiyyah shared two goals with its host Al-Hazm in the Saudi Zain Professional League at Al-Hazm Club Stadium Sunday.

Ayedh Al-Bilawi put Al-Qadisiyyah in the lead in the 22nd minute before the Senegalese midfielder of the host team equalized from the penalty spot.

Al-Hazm is now sixth in the league standing with eight points and two matches in hand. On the other hand, Al-Qadisiyyah is 10th with six points.

The ninth round of the competition concludes Monday with two encounters.

Al-Shabab hosts Al-Ittihad in Riyadh while Al-Ra’id hosts Nejran at King Abdullah Sports City.The Riyadh encounter is of great importance for both Al-Shabab, third in rank with 19 points and Al-Ittihad, fourth with 15. Although the guest team still has three matches in hand, Al-Shabab is keen to end the round with a new win to get as closer to the league leader, Al-Hilal (25), as possible.

Hilal blanks Ittifaq

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Hilal deepened the wounds of Al-Ittifaq after defeating its host 2-0 in the ninth round of the Saudi Zain Professional League at Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium Saturday.

The league leader Al-Hilal added three new points to its tally to reach 25 points while Al-Ittifaq remains in the bottom of the standing with two points, with two matches in hand.

From a corner kick in the 21st minute, Al-Qahtani of Hilal headed into the goal. Six minutes after the break, Thiago Neves’s shot was blocked by the goalkeeper but Wilhelmsson pounced on the rebound to score.

In another match, Al-Nasr rallied from 0-3 to draw with host Al-Ahli 3-3- at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.

Hussain Al-Raheb put Al-Ahli in the lead in the third minute before Javier Tulido increased the margin in the 28th. A minute before the break, Saheb Al-Abdullah headed in to make it 3-0.

In the second half, the Argentinean midfielder Victor Alberto Figueroa scored the first goal for Al-Nasr three minutes after the break. In the 76th minute, Rayyan Bilal scored the second. Two minutes later, Figueroa equalized for Al-Nasr.

With one match in hand, Al-Ahli is fifth with 11 points followed by Al-Nasr (7), with three matches in hand.

At Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium, Al-Wehdah and Al-Fateh shared the points after a goalless match. Al-Wehdah is seventh with seven points and two matches in hand. On the other hand, Al-Fateh stands fourth (12).

Boy scouts trained to assist pilgrims in holy sites

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH - Some 270 boy scouts rushed Friday to the holy sites in Makkah after the conclusion of a preparatory Haj scout camp.

Dr. Rashid Al-Zahrani, head of the Technical and Vocational Training Board in Makkah Region (TVTB), told Saudi Gazette that the scouts are ready to help in case they are needed in civil defense work.

“These scouts are coming from training centers in various parts of the country, such as Riyadh, Wadi AdDawasir, Kherj, Jizan, Najran, Asir, Al-Baha, Al-Qassim, Hail and the Eastern Province, in addition to, of course the Makkah region,” he said.

“We have engaged experienced trainers to give our scouts intensive courses on safety procedures and evacuation in case an accident occurs, God forbid,” Al-Zahrani said.

The camp commander Abdullah Al-Sha’ir explained that the course consisted of a number of religious lectures, open meetings and health programs.

“There were also sessions for civil defense and a first aid course,” he noted.

Al-Sha’ir added that the participants were given an intensive program on the Haj that included a number of courses and lectures on how best to serve the guests of Allah.

He also added that the scouts were exposed to Islamic lectures that will help them assist pilgrims.

“In addition, we focused on health measures so that the scout can help to spread awareness of the importance of good hygiene among the millions of visitors to the holy sites,” he said.

Young jobless Saudis to undergo vocational training

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – A new agreement will see many unemployed Saudi youth undergo various courses to help them enter the job market and to start their own businesses.

This is the result of a recent agreement signed between the Technical and Vocational Training Board (TVTB) in the Makkah Region with the Craft Hands Philanthropic Society (Hirafiyya).

Dr. Rashed Al-Zahrani, head of the TVTB in the Makkah region, said that under the agreement, Hirafiyya will send young men and women to the TVTB to attend six-month training courses in computers, photography and accounting. “We will focus on professional ethics which we believe is of great importance. We expect that some 300 youths would graduate annually,” Zahrani added.

He said graduates can also benefit from loans that the Human Resources Fund gives to those wanting to set up their own small to medium-sized businesses. “A graduate can get up to SR200,000 to finance his or her project. Or a graduate can choose to receive a monthly loan of SR3,000 for the first two years,” he added.

Al-Zahrani added that the TVTB is working to coordinate with the Hirafiyya Society to repair the homes of poor people.

Ahmed Hussain Hashim, the head of Hirafiyya, said that they have mobile training units that can reach different places around the Makkah region. “The Municipality has given us a 10,000 meter square area where we can set up a training village,” Hashim said. – SG

He added that Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, the Emir of the Makkah Region, has helped to secure the land. “We were given four pieces of land in various places to establish training centers,” he said.

Hilal and Ahli share lead in Youth League

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli shared the first position in the first round of the Saudi Youth Premier League that kicked off Thursday.

The title holder Al-Hilal defeated its guest Hejr 3-1 at Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Stadium. Abdul-Kareem Al-Qahtani, Khalid Al-Ka’abi and Mubarak Al-Bieshi scored for Al-Hilal. The only goal for Hejr came from the spot through Mohammed Al-Enizi.

In the Eastern Province, Al-Ahli defeated Al-Ittifaq 3-1 at Abdullah Al-Dabal Stadium.

In another match, Hitteen defeated its host Arar 3-2.

At Al-Ta’ee Club Stadium in Hail, Al-Ta’ee won over its host Al-Nasr 2-1 while Al-Wehdah and Al-Ittihad shared four goals at Prince Abdul Majeed Bin Abdul Aziz Stadium.

At Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Stadium, Al-Shabab also shared two goals with its host Najran.


Ittihad-Juvenuts match on Dec. 30


Prince Sultan Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, President of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare (GPYW) and President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) gave the green light for Al-Ittihad club to host the Italian team Juventus in a friendly match on the occasion of the retirement of Al-Ittihad former international striker Hemza Idrees. The match is scheduled to be played on Dec. 30. 

The approval came upon a letter that Dr. Khalid Al-Marzouqi had sent to the President of GPYW.

Ittihad downs Najran

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Two late goals secured Al-Ittihad a 3-1 victory over Najran in the Saudi Zain Professional League at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium Wednesday.

In another postponed match in Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup, Al-Nasr recovered after losing three matches to defeat its guest Al-Shoa’lah 4-2 in Prince Abdurrahman Bin Saud Stadium.

Saudi players out

The Saudi football fans were disappointed to see the names of two of their players excluded from the latest list of nominees for the AFC’s best player of 2009.

Al-Ittihad skipper Mohammed Noor and Nasser Al-Shamrani were on the list of 15 players selected for the award.

The fresh list of five nominees include: Sayed Mohamed Adnan of Bahrain, Firas Al-Khateeb of Syria, Kengo Nakamura and Yasuhito Endo of Japan and Hadi Aghily of Iran.

However, Saudi Arabia is selected among three countries listed for the AFC fair play award. The other two countries are South Korea and Japan.

For the club of the year award, AFC has selected Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia, Pohang Steelers of Korea and Kuwait of Kuwait.

The Uzbek Ravshan Irmatov, the Japanese Yuichi Nishimura and the Australian Matthew Breeze were listed for the best referee of the year.

Iraq and Saudi Arabia qualify for Asian Under-19 Finals

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Iraq secured first position in Group C of the 2010 qualifiers for AFC U-19 Championship after defeating Saudi Arabia 3-0 in their last match of the group at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq, Sunday.

With this win, host Iraq topped the group with 13 points to qualify first while the Saudi team stayed second with 10 points. However, both teams qualified for the Finals of the championship.

Muhanned Al-Farsi almost scored for Saudi Arabia in the 30th minute, but his shot hit the post. After a barren first half, Mohammed Sa’ad scored for Iraq in the 58th minute. Seven minutes later, he increased the margin. Amjed Waleed sealed the win in the 90th minute with a penalty kick.

Iraq has won the Asian title five times – 1975, 1977, 1978, 1988 and 2000. In contrast, Saudi Arabia has won in 1986 and 1992.

In other matches, Oman blanked Afghanistan 4-0. Abdullah Saif scored in the 12th minute before Abdullah Abdul-Hadi scored from the spot to increase the margin in the 35th minute. Two minutes before the break, Abdullah Saif scored the third goal. Khaled Al-Alawi completed the tally in the 76th minute.

India succeeded to beat Kuwait 3-0. Jeji Lalpekhlua scored an early goal in the seventh minute. Malsawmfela then struck twice in the 45th and 56th minutes.

With six points, India is in the fourth place in the group behind Oman (8 points). Afghanistan stayed at the bottom with no points.

According to the guidelines of the tournament, teams finishing first and second in each group will qualify for the finals. In addition, the best third in the three groups of Eastern Asia also qualifies along with the best third in the Western Asia’s four groups.

Hilal stays on top

Al-Hilal kept collecting points to top Group A when it defeated host Al-Riyadh 2-0 in the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup at Prince Turki Bin Abdul Aziz Stadium.

Nawaf Al-Ayed and Abdul Aziz Al-Kaltham scored for Al-Hilal.

In another match in the group, Al-Wattani whipped its host Al-Shoa’lah 5-3 at Al-Sho’alah Club Stadium in Al-Kharj. The guest team’s goals came through Tiraiqi Al-Otaibi, Eisa Abu Qada’ah (hat trick) and Fahd Abu Jebir. Abdul-Mejeed Al-Hemdan, Berj Ma’odah and Yousuf Al-Rasheedy scored for Al-Shoa’lah.

In the same group, Al-Shabab thrashed its host Al-Nasr 4-2 at Prince Abdurrahman Bin Saud Stadium. With this win, Al-Shabab stays second with 13 points behind group leader, Al-Hilal. Al-Nasr is fourth with nine points.

In Group B, Al-Adalah defeated Hejr 4-2 at Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium in Al-Hasa.

In another match, Al-Khaleej defeated its guest Al-Ittifaq 1-0 at Al-Khaleej Club Stadium.

Al-Fateh won its guest Al-Qadisiyyah 2-0 at Al-Fateh Club Stadium. Al-Fateh topped this group with 15 points followed by Al-Khaleej (11).

At Prince Mohammed Bin Abdul Aziz Sport City Stadium in Al-Madina, Ohud and Al-Ansar shared points after a goalless draw in group C.

In the same group, Al-Ahli defeated its home rival Al-Ittihad 2-1 at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium. Al-Ahli is on top of its group with 13 points followed by Al-Ansar (9) and Al-Ittihad (2).

In group D, Bassim Al-Baqi’s goal saved Al-Ta’ee in the extratime to share two goals with host Al-Ta’awon at King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Sports City Stadium. Al-Ta’awon topped the group with eight points. In another match, Al-Hazm shared two goals with Al-Ra’id.

Kingdom, Belarus share 2 goals

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – The Saudi national football team shared two goals with Belarus in another friendly match held at Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium Saturday.

Maksim Bordachev of Belarus put his team in the lead in the 20th minute. After the Belarus goalkeeper, Yuri Zhevnov was sent off in the 23rd minute, Saudi striker Nasser Al-Shamrani succeeded to make it 1-1.

Earlier Friday, the two teams played a match that ended 2-1 in favor of the Saudis. Both Saudi goals were scored by Abdul Aziz Al-Sa’aran.

With these two friendly matches, the Saudi national team concludes its nine-day preparatory training camp in the Eastern Province.

Nasr bags Youth Cup

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Nasr won the Saudi Federation Youth Cup after edging the Al-Ahli on a 6-5 penalty shootout at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium Friday.

Al-Nasr thus succeeded in retaining the title for the second year of the competition’s new edition.

Al-Nasr players Mohammed Hezzazi, Turki Al-Sufiyani, Abdul-Mohsin Aseeri , Abdul Aziz Al-Dhiyabi, Osama Ashour and Badr Al-Asmari converted their six shots. On the other hand, Sultan Al-Sawadi, Khaled Al-Sagan, Nader Al-Subiyani, Samer Salem and Ahmed Al-Oufi succeeded to score for Al-Ahli. Al-Nasr goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Enizy blocked Aal Fateel’s kick to give his team the victory.

Awadh Al-Ittiani of Al-Ahli was sent off before the end of the second extra time. However, Al-Ahli players fought well to remain goalless.

Al-Nasr qualified for the final after defeating Al-Ittifaq 3-2 at Abdullah Al-Dabl Stadium, while Al-Ahli entered the final through defeating its guest Al-Hilal 2-0 at Prince Sultan Bin Fahd Stadium of Al-Ahli.

Al-Nasr won last year’s cup after defeating Al-Ahli 1-0 at the same stadium. The only goal came through Sultan Al-Bogami in the fifth minute of the first extra time.

Kingdom defeats Belarus

The Saudi national team defeated Belarus 2-1 in a friendly match at the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium Friday.

The match was held as part of the Saudi national team’s preparatory training camp in the Eastern Province from Oct. 6 to 14.

Kingdom, Iraq qualify for Finals

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia and Iraq qualified for the Finals of the AFC U-19 Championship 2010 Thursday.

The two teams shared the points after their goalless matches against Kuwait and Oman at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq.

Iraq topped Group 3 with 10 points followed by Saudi Arabia with 10 points, but with a three-goal difference.

Iraq shared points with Kuwait despite the Iraqi defender Kerrar Mejeed was sent off three minutes after the break. Saudi Arabia shared the spoils with Oman.

The Omani goalkeeper, Ayoub Al-Qorttobi performed bravely and saved his citadel at least on four occasions.

The Saudis could not benefit from the sent-off of the Omani defender Khamees Jom’ah in the 58th minute of the match.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq will meet Sunday to decide first and second places in the group.

In another match, India turned the tables on Afghanistan and collected its first three points. The first half ended 1-0 in favor of Afghanistan through defender Mohammed Rahimi but the Indians roared back after the break to make it 4-1.

Striker Malsawmfela scored in the 48th minute before Jeje Lalpekhlua scored from the spot in the 62nd minute. Five minutes later, India increased the margin through Malsawmfela. In the 83rd minute, Lalpekhlua scored from the spot again.

Kingdom, Iraq qualify for Finals

By Mohammed Al-Kinani


JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia and Iraq qualified for the Finals of the AFC U-19 Championship 2010 Thursday.

The two teams shared the points after their goalless matches against Kuwait and Oman at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq.

Iraq topped Group 3 with 10 points followed by Saudi Arabia with 10 points, but with a three-goal difference.

Iraq shared points with Kuwait despite the Iraqi defender Kerrar Mejeed was sent off three minutes after the break. Saudi Arabia shared the spoils with Oman.

The Omani goalkeeper, Ayoub Al-Qorttobi performed bravely and saved his citadel at least on four occasions.

The Saudis could not benefit from the sent-off of the Omani defender Khamees Jom’ah in the 58th minute of the match.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq will meet Sunday to decide first and second places in the group.

In another match, India turned the tables on Afghanistan and collected its first three points. The first half ended 1-0 in favor of Afghanistan through defender Mohammed Rahimi but the Indians roared back after the break to make it 4-1.

Striker Malsawmfela scored in the 48th minute before Jeje Lalpekhlua scored from the spot in the 62nd minute. Five minutes later, India increased the margin through Malsawmfela. In the 83rd minute, Lalpekhlua scored from the spot again.

Ittifaq blanks Qadisiyyah

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Al-Ittifaq defeated its home rival Al-Qadisiyyah 2-0 in a delayed match in Group B of Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup at the Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium Wednesday.

Abdurrahman Al-Qahtani put Al-Ittifaq in the lead in the 13th minute and Hamad Al-Hamad sealed the win 11 minutes after the break.

The result put Al-Ittifaq in the third place with eight points behind Al-Fateh and Hejr. Al-Qadisiyyah is fifth with four points.

In another delayed match of Group C, Al-Wehdah shared two goals with its guest Al-Ittihad.

The first half ended goalless. In the 59th minute, striker Mohanned Aseeri put Al-Wehdah in the lead before Talal Al-Mish’al made it equal in the 81st minute.

Al-Wehdah is now third in its group with seven points, followed by Al-Ittihad with only two points although the latter still has one match in hand.

On Tuesday, the Technical Committee in the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has decided to deduct three points from Al-Hilal team for violating the regulations of Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup. The points and three goals were added to other team, according to the decision.

The committee said in its statement that six of Al-Hilal players in its match against Al-Shoa’lah were over 23 years. Therefore, Al-Hilal is considered loser. The decision was taken due to the participation of Saad Al-Dhiyab to make it six players.

The regulations of the tournament give the participating teams the choice to have five older players, with the goalkeeper excluded – the goalkeeper’s age should not exceed 23.

The match ended 4-0 in favor of Al-Hilal and witnessed the fastest goal ever recorded in a professional football match, when Nawaf Al-Abid gave Al-Hilal the lead after only two seconds.

7 centuries of Islamic achievement on display in Madina

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Seven centuries of outstanding Islamic inventions and innovations will be on display at an exhibition to be held at the Islamic University (IU) in Madina from Nov. 14 to Nov. 18.

Entitled “Journey to the past to build the future”, the five-day event includes the participation of the Al-Aghar Group for Strategic Thinking, an independent, non-profit think-tank dealing with national and international issues related to Saudi Arabia. The exhibition is being held under the patronage of Minister of Education, Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al-Saud.

Prince Faisal will deliver a speech on Sunday, Nov. 15, titled: “Future outlook on education in the era of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud”. The Prince will talk about the Kingdom’s plans to transform itself into a knowledge-based society.

The exhibition aims to raise awareness about the Kingdom’s Islamic heritage and the achievements and inventions of Muslims from the seventh to the seventeenth century CE. It also aims to spread the spirit of innovation among young people.

The exhibition presents information about several innovations by Muslims in various fields including medicine, science, mathematics, astronomy and aeronautics. Among the scientists featured in the exhibition are Fatima Al-Fihriyya, who founded the University of Al-Qarawiyyin, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the oldest universities in the world.

Other scientists whose work will be on display are Al-Khwarizmi, who developed the basis for algebra; Ibn Al-Haytham, the founder of optics; and Al-Jazari, the first person to develop a water lifting system. Al-Jazari also designed a clock powered by water. The clock still works and will be on display.

Kingdom, Iraq keep winning

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia and Iraq continued their run to qualify for the finals of the AFC U-19 Championship 2010 by winning over Kuwait and Afghanistan at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq, Tuesday.

With nine points each, Saudi Arabia and Iraq top their group but host keeps an edge on 3-goal difference.

Saudi Arabia succeeded to win three important points from a determined Kuwait.

Mohammed Mejreshi scored the winner for the Saudi team in the 36th minute. Both teams put up a good show, but Mejreshi made the difference.

During the last minute of the match, the Kuwaiti defender Ahmed Al-Dhufairy was sent off.

In other matches, Iraq defeated Afghanistan 3-0 at the same stadium. Meanwhile, Oman defeated India 4-3. The Indian side succeeded to end the first half leading 3-1, but failed to maintain the tempo.

Now India and Afghanistan remain last with no points. Kuwait and Oman are third and fourth respectively with four points each.

First specialized decoration fair launched

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – The founder of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Abdul-Qader Al-Fadhl launched the decoration and home accessories exhibition, the Deco Fair, at the Jeddah International Center for Forums and Events Sunday.

With the participation of some 200 exhibitors and many experts, economists and businessmen, the event included a number of brand names in the furniture and decoration industries.

According to Haya Al-Sinaidy, head of the Organizing Committee, the event is the first specialized exhibition not only in the Kingdom, but also in the Middle East. “The exhibition is located on an area of 4,800 square meters and is meant to bring together many experts and people interested in this industry,” she said.

She added that some 50 national factories from various regions of the Kingdom are taking part in the event. Al-Sinaidy expects that the decoration and furniture market will increase significantly over the next 10 years.
“The Saudi market is one of the largest markets in the Middle East. Saudi cities will experience population growth in coming years. This growth will be accompanied by the construction of more than one million housing units, hotels, commercial centers, residential apartments and tourist resorts,” she added.

According to her own sourced calculations, she believes that the size of the decoration and furniture market in the Middle East will reach $100 billion in the next five years. “The Saudi market is an important market in the Middle East, if not the most important,” she said.

Al-Sinaidy said the local industry needs about 50,000 specialists to help it grow. “We need to have vocational colleges and training institutions that specialize in furniture production and design,” she said.

Kingdom beats India

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia defeated India 3-1 in Group 3 of the AFC U-19 Championship 2010 Saturday.

The matches are played at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq.

Indian defender Inderpreet Singh put his team in the lead in the 28th minute. The Indians succeeded to end the first half with one-goal lead. In the 56th minute, another defender, Devrani Deepak scored an own goal.

The performance of the Indian team improved remarkably although the team was defeated by host Iraq 5-0.

The Indian team suffered a setback when midfielder Akshay Vilmalkumar was sent off in the 72nd minute. However, the last minute of the match witnessed another goal by the Saudi side through midfielder Abdullah Al-Mohammed in the 90th minute.

The referee gave the two teams some five minutes for extratime. Mohanned Al-Farsi sealed the Saudi win in the 95th minute of the match.

With this win, Saudi Arabia is second in its group with just one goal difference behind Iraq that also has six points. India, on the other hand, comes last in the group.

In other matches, host Iraq defeated Oman 2-0. Two players of both teams were sent off.

Meanwhile, Kuwait collected three points after defeating Afghanistan 4-1.

Pohang emerges Asian champion

By Mohammed Al-Kinani

JEDDAH – Pohang Steelers of South Korea defeated Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia to win the Asian Champion League at the National Olympic Stadium in Japan.

With the victory, Pohang won a berth in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates from Dec. 9-19.

Pohang striker Noh Byung-jun put his team in the lead in the 57th minute before defender Kim Hyung-il increased the margin with a brilliant header. However, Al-Ittihad midfielder Mohammed Noor scored his team’s only goal in the 74th minute.

Mohammed Noor and Amine Chermiti were closely monitored by the Korean defenders during the first half. On the other hand, Hicham Aboucherouane failed to rise up to the occasion. The Korean players pressed hard but failed to score in the first half despite noticeable weakness in Al-Ittihad backline.

In the second half, Al-Ittihad players had many good chances to score.

Chermiti received a cross from Manaf Abu Shugair in the 47th and headed toward the goal, but it hit the bar.

Chermiti got another chance in the 55th minute when Aboucherouane sent him a cross. But he kicked over to lose a real goal.

The absence of Al-Ittihad right defender Rashed Al-Raheeb worsened the situation for the team. The replacement Obaid Al-Shamrani proved a weak link.

Al-Shamrani brought down a Korean player in the 57th minute. Off the resultant freekick Noh Byung succeeded to pierce the defensive wall and beat Al-Ittihad goalkeeper Mabrouk Za’id.

Al-Ittihad coach, Gabriel Calderon preferred to make an adventure by replacing defender Al-Shamrani with the Argentinean striker Luciano Leguizamon in the 64th minute.

A minute later, it was again a freekick for Pohang but at the left side. Defender Kim Hyung connected the kick with a stunning header.

After this goal, Pohang resorted to defend their goal and waste time. This allowed Al-Ittihad to press on the Korean side.

Hicham Aboucherouane sent a cross to Chermiti who headed in the goal, but the Korean goalkeeper saved it. However, the ball landed in front of Noor who blasted home powerfully.

Pohang coach Sergio Farias focused on the defense line with three replacements. Calderon of Al-Ittihad, however, made a single change.


Day of red cards

Red cards marked the sixth round of the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup matches. Six cards were shown in the 11 encounters played Saturday.

At Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, Al-Ahli thrashed its host Ohud 8-0 in Group C.

In Riyadh, Al-Hilal defeated Al-Shoa’lah 4-0 in Group A. In the same group, Al-Shabab won over Al-Riyadh 4-1.

In Group D, Al-Ra’id defeated Al-Ta’ee 3-0.

In other matches, Al-Watani defeated Al-Nasr 3-1, Najran defeated Hitteen 3-1, Abha and Dhamak shared four goals, Al-Ittifaq and Al-Adalah drew goalless, Al-Qadisiyyah and Al-Khaleej shared two goals, Hejr and Al-Fateh drew 1-1 and Al-Faisali defeated Al-Hazm 1-0.