Latest news with #Amir'sCup
Arab Times
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Al-Salmiya signs Nasser Al-Shatti as head coach for the season
KUWAIT CITY, July 12: Al-Salmiya Club officially announced the signing of coach Nasser Al-Shatti and his brother, Maitham Al-Shatti, to lead the first football team in preparation for the upcoming 2025-2026 season. The agreement was finalized the day before yesterday following months of negotiations that began earlier this year. Al-Shatti had previously led Al-Arabi to an impressive season, finishing as runner-up in the Zain Premier League and the Crown Prince Cup, and reaching the final of the Amir's Cup, which was postponed last June due to regional circumstances. The team also reached the AFC Challenge Cup semifinals. Despite Al-Arabi's desire to renew his contract for a third season, both sides were unable to reach a final agreement. As a result, Al-Salmiya parted ways with Croatian coach Ante Miša, who had been under contract through the end of next season. The club expressed its gratitude to Miša and wished him success in future endeavors. With the appointment of the Al-Shatti brothers, Al-Salmiya aims to return to title contention and secure local championships after a prolonged absence from the podium. In addition to the coaching change, Al-Salmiya has reinforced its squad by signing Abdullah Al-Shamali, who recently ended his stint with Al-Qadsiya. Al-Shamali began his career at Al-Arabi and spent the last two seasons at Al-Qadsiya. Meanwhile, Al-Arabi has announced the appointment of Jordanian coach Ahmed Hayel as assistant coach, joining the technical staff led by Portuguese head coach Marco Cesar Pereira Alves, whose hiring was confirmed last week. Hayel will work alongside Portuguese coach Alonso, who was recently added to the staff, marking his first coaching role outside Jordan. A former Al-Arabi player, Hayel's career was cut short by a head injury nearly a decade ago. He brings a strong coaching résumé, having guided the Jordan U-23 Olympic team to the 2021 West Asian Championship title and qualification for the AFC Asian Cup finals. He also served as assistant coach for Jordan's senior national team and led Al-Faisaly and Al-Hussein Irbid, winning the Jordanian Professional League title last season. Al-Arabi's technical staff also includes: Tunisian Khalil Jebabli as fitness coach (continuing in his role) Portuguese Blessing Lumiono and Ahmed Hayel as assistant coaches Brazilian Artur Guedes as goalkeeper coach Algerian Mahfouz Jenad as a technical analyst
Arab Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Marco Alves named Al-Arabi coach as club prepares for new season
KUWAIT CITY, July 9: Al-Arabi Club has officially appointed Portuguese coach Marco Cesar Pereira Alves to lead the club's first football team as preparations begin for the upcoming 2025–2026 season. Alves replaces Nasser Al-Shatti, the Kuwaiti coach who led Al-Arabi for two consecutive seasons. Despite notable achievements — including finishing as runner-up in the Zain Premier League and the Crown Prince Cup, as well as reaching the Amir's Cup final (postponed due to regional circumstances) — both sides reached a mutual decision to part ways. While Alves may not have an extensive head coaching résumé, he brings considerable experience as an assistant coach. His past roles include stints with Sharjah (UAE) and Al-Taawoun (Saudi Arabia), as well as several Portuguese clubs, including Vitória Guimarães, Trofense, Chaves, Moreirense, and Gil Vicente. He has also obtained the prestigious UEFA Pro License, qualifying him to manage both top-tier European clubs and national teams. Alves and his assistant staff are expected to arrive in Kuwait within the next two days to finalize contract details, ahead of their first official duty: leading the team's preseason training session on Tuesday. Al-Arabi will begin its competitive campaign on August 12, facing Maziya Sports of the Maldives in a critical play-off match for a spot in the group stage of an upcoming international tournament. One of the new coaching staff's first major responsibilities will be finalizing the club's foreign player lineup. The club has renewed contracts with its two Nigerian players, Emmanuel Iwala and Christopher John, but opted not to retain Sofiane Bouchar (Algeria), Hamza Khaba (Morocco), and Kamil Al-Aswad (Bahrain). Al-Arabi's management has been actively scouting foreign talent to strengthen the squad ahead of the Zain Premier League, which kicks off on September 12. Among the latest names linked to the club is Egyptian striker Marawan Hamdi, currently playing for Pyramids FC.
Arab Times
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Veteran Croatian coach Radan returns to lead Al-Jahra for the upcoming season
KUWAIT CITY, June 9: Croatian coach Rodion Gasanin, known as "Radan," has officially returned to Kuwait after signing an agreement with Al-Jahra to take charge of the first football team for the upcoming season. Radan, 61, brings with him over 28 years of coaching experience. His career began in Croatia with clubs Opatija and Orient before he transitioned to the Gulf region. His impressive résumé includes stints with prominent clubs such as Kuwait Club, Al-Qadsiya, Al-Nasr (Kuwait and Saudi Arabia), Hajr, Al-Orouba (Saudi Arabia), Erbil (Iraq), Al-Muharraq SC and Al-Riffa (Bahrain), Al-Mesaimeer (Qatar), Al-Merreikh (Sudan), and Al-Ahli Benghazi (Libya). Radan also had a brief tenure with the Kuwait national team in 2008, which ended after a loss to Syria during the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. Throughout his career, Radan has achieved notable success, securing multiple titles across various leagues. He led Al-Qadsiya to victories in the Kuwait Premier League, Amir's Cup, and Super Cup. With Kuwait Club, he captured both the league title and the Crown Prince Cup. His time in Bahrain was also fruitful, winning the league twice, the Crown Prince Cup three times, and the Federation Cup once. Al-Jahra's board of directors has already coordinated with Radan regarding the selection of three foreign players for the new season. This comes following the contract renewal of Tunisian defender Amr Ben Zekri and the signing of Brazilian midfielder Silva, who played for Al-Sulaibikhat last season. Al-Jahra recently earned promotion back to the Zain Premier League after finishing first in the Zain First Division League, and the club now looks to Radan to lead them into a competitive return at the top tier.
Arab Times
02-06-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Marhoun set to stay at Kuwait Club for two more seasons
KUWAIT CITY, June 2: Kuwait Club has reached a renewed agreement with Bahraini professional Mohammed Marhoun, extending his contract for an additional two seasons. Negotiations between both parties have successfully concluded on nearly all terms, with only the official announcement pending. Marhoun delivered an impressive season with the Whites, often playing a decisive role and emerging as a match-winner on several occasions. Once confirmed, Marhoun's renewal would mark Kuwait SC's second official move of the offseason, following the extension of Congolese defender Arsène Zola (Malik), who will also continue with the team next season. Meanwhile, the club has opted to postpone any decision regarding Tunisian striker Yassine Khenissi until after the Amir's Cup final against Al-Arabi on June 16. As for Moroccan duo Amin Abu Al-Fath and Yahya Jabrane, both players are close to finalizing moves to Wydad Casablanca. Negotiations with the Moroccan club have progressed significantly, with most contractual terms agreed upon, paving the way for a potential transfer before the start of the upcoming season.
Arab Times
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Kuwait needs back-to-back wins to keep World Cup hopes alive
KUWAIT CITY, May 31: The Kuwait national football team will kick off its training camp at 7:30 pm today at Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, in preparation for two critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Palestine and South Korea, scheduled for June 5 and 10, respectively. Head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi has called up Al-Salmiya's Fawaz Ayed to replace injured Al-Qadisiya player Abdulaziz Wadi, who sustained an injury during the semi-final of His Highness the Amir's Cup against Kuwait Club last Thursday. Pizzi has named a 26-man squad for the upcoming fixtures, which includes: Saud Al-Hoshan, Mishari Ghannam, Fahad Al-Hajri, Mohammed Daham, Reda Hani, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Ahmed Al-Zanki, Yousef Nasser, Khaled Al-Rashidi, Moaz Al-Dhafiri, Eid Al-Rashidi, Mubarak Al-Fenini, Jassim Al-Matar, Khaled Sabah, Rashid Al-Dosari, Suleiman Abdul-Ghafoor, Hassan Hamdan, Mohammed Khaled, Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi, Hussein Ashkanani, Yousef Majed, Moaz Al-Aseema, Mahdi Dashti, Hamad Harbi, and Abdulrahman Al-Rashidi. Kuwait currently sits sixth in Group B with 5 points from eight matches, having drawn five. South Korea leads the group with 16 points, followed by Jordan (13), Iraq (12), Oman (10), and Palestine (6). To keep qualification hopes alive, Kuwait must win both upcoming matches and hope for Oman to drop points in the final two rounds.
