Khalid Tawalbeh
Doha
Great lovers of football that the Saudis are, they couldn’t have asked for a better opening show by their team for all the support they gave the Green Falcons.
Buoyed by the days result, they confirmed they will “stay here until the Saudi team keeps winning”. In a visit to the Saudi House after the Saudi-Argentinian match, Qatar Tribune caught up with some Saudi fans to gauge their feelings. Not unexpectedly, they expressed gratitude to and appreciation of the team for their great performance against Argentina.
The Saudi House in Doha saw fans trickling in to celebrate into the night even as the other World Cup matches continued in other stadiums. “Oh, we are in a different world right now. What our football team showed this afternoon was nothing but sheer magic and daredevilry. It shows what out football is and how we can challenge the mighty. This is what we are all here for to show the world,” said a bespectacled Mowad Mohamed.
Abdulaziz Al Hazmi, a Saudi fan, told Qatar Tribune: “We all know Argentina is not like any other team, it is one of those that can take the title, but we also know that Saudi players can make the impossible happen. That is what they did here to make us proud, and they will do more”.
“This is my first time in Qatar, and the first time to be with our team in an international event this big, I am not surprised by the fighting spirit Saudi players have, I am sure they can amaze the world when they get the chance,” he added.
Dahham Al Qahtani couldn’t hide his happiness, laughing loudly, he said: “We damaged the legends, we don’t have the word impossible in our dictionary. We are Saudis”!
He said he will never leave the “great Saudi team” because this team “has always been a source of inspiration for the Saudi people and can still give more”, adding “our team made a promise and (you) never break a promise.”
Saudi House is a fan zone in the Corniche area of Doha, one of the most prominent places that offers Saudi and Arab audiences rich and diverse experiences related to cultural, musical and sporting heritage, as part of the Qatar 2022 World Cup events.
Ali Bluwi, another fan from Tabuk in the northern part of Saudi Arabia, expressed his admiration for the great efforts Saudi players made and the new techniques they used against Argentina. “I am amazed by this great power. It is as if I am seeing our team for the first time!”
He told Qatar Tribune about the new plans put into place by the ‘great Renard’ to make the Saudi team this strong.
He added “even if we don’t win the next matches, we are now much satisfied with what our team has already done!”
“Coach Herve Renard had promised an honourable performance for Saudi Arabia. He kept his promise, and we are waiting for the next fixture. We are sure Saudi players will never let us down. Even if they don’t win a match, they will entertain all the fans and football lovers around the world,” he added.
Saudi House, where the Saudi fans meet, has 10 pavilions in which 21 events are being organised. The events are designed to enrich the fans’ World Cup experience. There fans can experience playing football with top players virtually in the Dreams Pavilion, via augmented reality and virtual reality. They can also experience filming with the Saudi national team squad virtually. The area also contains a special store for all collectibles related to the ‘Green’ football team such as T-shirts, banners bearing the Kingdom’s flag, and many other attachments with the Saudi flag.
An Iraqi social media influencer Nabaa Al Dabbagh from Dubai was ecstatic at the stadium. Wearing a KSA T-shirt, she said, “So proud of everything the word football means. This was a match with the taste of a final.”
