SME-Written by: Muhammad bin Abdat
Arabs have stories and tales with the Asian Cup Championship since their first participation in it
Iraq and Kuwait appeared in the 1972 championship in Thailand and 1976 in Iran as competitors for the title, but they were not lucky when the Iranian team won the cup of both championships, and before that, it won the 1968 championship to win the championship three times in a row.. Now the seventh championship that was held in Kuwait was different for the Arab teams, and through it the Blue was able to The Kuwaiti team achieved the first championship for the Arabs when it played great matches in the days of the era and the strength of Kuwaiti football and its great stars, Jassim Yaqoub, Faisal Al-Dakhil, Saad Al-Houti, Mahboob Jumaa, Al-Trabelsi, Al-Anbari and others. Perhaps the Kuwaiti football fans will not forget the day the Kuwaiti national team prevailed in the final of the tournament by three clean goals over the South Korean national team. Captain Saad Al-Houti, who opened the scoring, then King Faisal Al-Dakhil added two more goals, putting Kuwait on the podium, breaking the control of Iran and South Korea over the tournament.
Therefore, when Kuwaitis follow these days the Asian Cup competitions hosted by the State of Qatar, they once again have nothing but to sing about the past of Al-Azraq, which is absent from the tournament.
As for the Saudi national team, which won the Asian title in its first participation in 1984 in Singapore, and then followed it with two more titles, one in Doha in 1988 and another in Abu Dhabi in 1996, it is still in strong presence, even if it did not succeed in previous tournaments, but it appeared in the last World Cup in a strong way and with what it possesses. The momentum of his stardom in all his lines allows him to go far in the championship, and I do not rule out that he will be the most prominent competitor for the title..
Meanwhile, Al-Anabi, the champion who won the Asian Cup in its last edition, will not enter this tournament, which is being held on its home soil and among its fans, except with one eye on its cup, as he is its last champion.
Therefore, the Qatari team, which includes distinguished football stars, including more than one player who topped the podium in the previous tournament, will be nothing but a strong and fierce competitor to snatch the championship cup and benefit from participating in the World Cup and avoiding mistakes in preparing and preparing appropriately to enter the atmosphere of the tournament and defend its title amid support. A great leader of the country and those involved in sports there. Therefore, all of these factors, from my point of view, will place Annabi among the most prominent competitors for the Asian title.
The Iraqi team remains one of the Arab champions of Asia, which delighted everyone with its victories in the 2007 championship and winning the first major Asian championship recorded in the history of Iraqi football.
The beautiful thing is that Iraq, after that tournament, remained present and did not absent, and its participation in Doha, in accordance with the preparation and matches it played before entering the actual competition, shows that it is capable of presenting strong levels and may be one of the teams that appear in a remarkable manner and go to advanced roles, regardless of the path of its participation in Recent tournaments.
If the Arab teams present and winners of the Asian Cup before will not have their eyes on the competition if the title is not close to them, especially the Saudi and Qatari teams, as many factors are in their favor, all those interested and following their advice and even their attendance at the tournament know it with me.
* Arab sports writer and critic
