2024-01-13 16:37:37
In a surprising move, Saudi national team coach Roberto Mancini excluded Al-Nasr goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi from the official squad participating in the Asian Cup finals currently being held in Qatar.
The Italian coach also decided to exclude two other players, Ayman Yahya and Abbas Al-Hassan, and replaced the three with the inclusion of Mohammed Al-Breik, Talal Haji, and Mohammed Al-Yami.
Mancini also allowed player Rayan Hamed to leave the “Green” camp and rejoin the U-23 team camp.
The national team is preparing to play its first match in the 2023 Asian Cup, when it faces the Oman national team on Tuesday.
The reasons for excluding the “Green” trio varied, as Al-Aqidi’s exclusion came as a surprise to the Saudi sports community, due to Mancini’s reliance on him mainly during the last camp period.
The team’s main goalkeeper, Mohammed Al Owais, will also be absent due to injury.
Al-Aqidi mainly participates with Al-Nasr, and performed at distinguished levels during the first half of the season.
Now everyone is wondering: Who is the goalkeeper that Mancini will rely on from the trio of Al-Rubaie, Raghed Al-Najjar and Ahmed Al-Kassar?
Ironically, Al-Najjar is Al-Aqidi’s backup guard in the ranks of Al-Nasr.
On the other hand, the duo, Yahya and Al-Hassan, suffered from injury during the recent period, as they were unable to participate in group training last week.
The duo continued to qualify, hoping to catch up with the national team’s preparations, but they were not ready to participate.
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