Aspirations for Historic Saudi Participation in FIFA World Cup 2022

Salem Al-Dawsari carrying a falcon (Saudi national team website)
Salem Al-Dawsari carrying a falcon (Saudi national team website)
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Aspirations for Historic Saudi Participation in FIFA World Cup 2022

Salem Al-Dawsari carrying a falcon (Saudi national team website)
Salem Al-Dawsari carrying a falcon (Saudi national team website)

The Saudi team launched its World Cup preparations in Doha with a light training session for the players who participated in the last friendly match against Croatia, in preparation for facing Argentina next Tuesday.

French coach Herve Renard participated in the training with the players.

The Saudi team is staying at the Sealine Beach Resort, which is one of the most luxurious resorts in Qatar, 55 km from Doha, about half an hour from the Hamad International Airport.

The residence of Saudi players is characterized by tranquility. The team will not leave the resort save for match days. The resort includes an official and approved training ground on which they will conduct training sessions.

The Saudi team arrived in Doha on Wednesday evening on a private plane that took the entire mission to the Hamad International Airport, where all players wore the official Saudi uniform, including the technical staff led by Renard, his assistant crew and medical cadres.

Upon their arrival, the Saudi team received a media and public reception before boarding buses and heading to the residence at Sealine.

The Saudi squad had announced the official numbers of its players, which witnessed some changes, with most of the numbers for their players remaining the same.

The numbers of the Saudi national team’s shirts were sequential from 1 to 26, which is the total number of the official team mission approved by FIFA.

Full Saudi Squad Below:

Mohammed Al-Yami; Nawaf Al-Aqidi; Mohammed Al-Owais; Sultan Al-Ghannam; Saud Abdulhamid; Abdullah Madu; Ali Al-Bulayhi; Abdulelah Al-Amri; Hassan Al-Tombakti; Abdullah Otayf; Riyadh Sharahili; Abdulelah Al-Malki; Ali Al-Hassan; Yasser Al-Shahrani; Mohammed Al-Burayk; Hattan Bahbri; Salem Al-Dawsari; Sami Al-Najei; Salman Al-Faraj; Nasser Al-Dawsari; Mohammed Kanno; Saleh Al-Shehri; Feras Al-Brikan; Haitham Asiri; Abdulrahman Al-Oboud; Fahad Al-Muwalad.



Spurs Midfielder Maddison Silences Critics with Winner Against Man United 

Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - February 16, 2025 Tottenham Hotspur's James Maddison celebrates scoring their first goal. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - February 16, 2025 Tottenham Hotspur's James Maddison celebrates scoring their first goal. (Action Images via Reuters)
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Spurs Midfielder Maddison Silences Critics with Winner Against Man United 

Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - February 16, 2025 Tottenham Hotspur's James Maddison celebrates scoring their first goal. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - February 16, 2025 Tottenham Hotspur's James Maddison celebrates scoring their first goal. (Action Images via Reuters)

James Maddison delivered the perfect riposte to his doubters by scoring the winning goal against Manchester United after the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder had come in for some stinging criticism in the lead-up to Sunday's Premier League match.

Making his first start since suffering a calf injury in December, Maddison tapped in a rebound from close range to give his side a 1-0 win in London, celebrating his goal with a shushing gesture.

Earlier in the week, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane had said anyone who thought Maddison's return to the side would help Spurs break into the top six was living in "cuckoo land."

"He got relegated with Leicester and he'll get relegated with Spurs," Keane said on "The Overlap" podcast.

"There was a little bit of outside noise this week," Maddison, who joined Spurs from Leicester City in 2023, told Sky Sports.

"People will have their opinions, but I wanted to do my talking on the pitch. I hope there is a certain few that enjoyed me being the match-winner today.

"Nobody is more critical of myself than me," he added.

"To be fair to the gaffer, he always talks about blocking out the outside noise, but sometimes it's difficult, you know. It's constantly in your face, social media and WhatsApp."

Despite the win Spurs remain in the bottom half of the table, sitting in 12th spot on 30 points after 25 games. They visit Ipswich Town on Saturday.