Is Kuwait National Football Team Dying?

Kuwait football stops as KD2m runs out

KUWAIT: Kuwait Football Association (KFA) may suspend national team activities and a number of local competitions due to a lack of funding. A KD2 million grant paid just seven months ago by His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, will run out soon.

Sheikh Dr. Talal Al-Fahad, KFA President, said on Sunday he bears “full responsibility” for the failure of the national team to reach the Asian qualifying round for the 2014 World Cup.

Sheikh Dr. Talal Al-Fahad announced a final match, between Qadsiya and Kazma on Tuesday for H.H. the Amir Cup, at a press conference held at the Movenpick Hotel in the Free Trade Zone.

“National teams and local competitions are at risk of suspension if obstacles remain in front of a new budget for KFA”, Al-Fahad said. He was referring to the suspension of the KFA budget, passed by Parliament and approved by the Cabinet, to due to controversy regarding the legality of the KFA board.

Al-Fahad said he plans to ask H.H. the Amir to “support Kuwaiti athletes”, hoping at the same time for “serious efforts to protect the future of Kuwaiti football”.

Kuwait lost its chance to advance to the World Cup after being beaten by South Korea last month. Apart from their victory in the Gulf Cup of Nations a couple of years ago, the national team has failed in major regional and international competitions.

“I hereby announce that I take full responsibility for all national team failures during my tenure as KFA President, and even those that happened before that”, Al-Fahad said, calling for both “moral and financial support” to improve Kuwait’s football sector.

In other news, a member of Qadsiya Club’s under-18 team pressed attempted murder charges against a fan. The fan reportedly struck him on the head with a hard object. The injury required 13 stitches. The incident happened during a match with Al-Sahel club on Sunday in an under-18 local league competition. Altercations broke out between the two teams.

Qadsiya’s Meshan Al-Marzouq fell to the ground bleeding heavily after a fan, who jumped over the railings, threw a hard object at his face. Al-Marzouq was rushed to Adan Hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit. The club is expected to file a complaint against KFA for failing to provide security personnel at Fahaheel Stadium, where the match took place. -Al-Qabas