Saadoun Hammoud: Saving Al-Ittifaq from relegation is in the hands of its players only

A number of retired Ettifaq stars demanded a more serious stance with the club during the remaining phase of the Saudi League, and to save the team from relegation to the First Division.

The agreement ended a camp in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi, during which he played a number of friendly matches, most notably against Al Ain, where French coach Carteron stood on the team’s situation and the capabilities of its players after he came as a savior for the team instead of Serbian Vladan, who did not add much despite the hopes placed on him to present a stronger version with The team, which was presented by his predecessor Khaled Al-Atwi.

Six matches remain for the agreement, the first against Al-Taawon next Thursday, then the postponed confrontation against Al-Hilal, then against Al-Hazm, Al-Faisaly and Al-Ittihad, and finally against Al-Fayha, where there will be “3” matches in Dammam and the same outside. Al-Ettifaq occupies the 15th and penultimate position with 24 points, at a rate of one point per match.

Saadoun Hammoud, the former team’s top scorer, said that the agreement “sinks” and this was evident in more than one match, “but standing with the entity remains the duty of everyone and I am the first of them.”

Hammoud said that he stood with the agreement in all its stages, whether when he was a player and reached the Saudi national teams, as well as when he assumed administrative, technical and other responsibilities and even after his retirement, stressing that he was keen to be in the stands to support the team and will not deviate from this path, and it will be a sincere agreement far from interests. narrow; Because what matters is the entity, not the people.

Hammoud called on the Al-Ittifaq players to do their best in terms of technical performance and fighting spirit, to turn the page on the past, and to emphasize that they deserve to defend the club’s ancient shirt.

Carteron took over at a sensitive time in the season (Photo: Issa Al-Dubaisi)

For his part, Fouad Al-Maqhawi, the guard of the previous agreement, said that the team’s condition is heartbreaking, considering that the solutions are weak, and are currently based only on the standing of honor members through moral and material support, as well as supporting the old stars with everything possible, and the responsibility on the players is to double the effort to save The history and value of the club first, and also keeping their history as professional players.

He added, “It is true that the administrative and technical situation and the performance of the players make the team a candidate, with a percentage of up to 80%, to be relegated to the Premier League, as the administration lacks experience, ability, and all that is required during this period, as it kept the old players and experts away from decisions, and made decisions that led the team to What he has reached now, but this does not mean letting the team sink, but rather there must be a stand with the entity.”

He also added, “At the technical level, the spirit is absent, and the technical elements of the players are the least efficient compared to the teams that they will meet in the rest of the rounds, but the ball and the greater responsibility remain on the players in order to provide the most they have, and to break all expectations that the team is inevitably relegated.”

And he considered that the winter polarization was weak after the inclusion of Amin Younes and Youssef Niakati, as those who preceded them were better than them, indicating that Niakati had to prove that he was a gain, while it appeared that Yunus was not up to what was required, and he generally would be punished for his absence in decisive matches, which means Unfortunately, it is the most losing deal, as he was suspended for two matches, and we hope that he will contribute to something positive in the remaining four matches that he will join before the end of the season.

For his part, former former international striker Gamal Mohamed said that the agreement does not have the elements that can be relied upon to rid the team of its current situation, as the financial cost of the players is high, but they are among the least tender on the field. And he indicated that the time has come to stand with the team, and to forget any differences or observations on the administration, because the agreement is an entity, and no one can accept that it falls again as a result of differences between anyone.

He added, “We talked and he did not listen to us on more than one occasion, and the administration kept the old players away from consulting, and the presence of Omar Bakhshwin, with all due respect to him, has nothing in his hand. All of this should stand with the entity, not the persons; Because people go and others come.”

He stressed that the team needs a very big work in order to get out of its current situation, as it is one of the least technical teams and is not able to outperform even the closest competing teams to escape the danger of relegation, hoping that the players have a say in the decisive matches, and that they give all What they can to save the deal from relegation.

For his part, Hamad Al-Dubaykhi, the former team star and technical analyst, said that the ball is in the players’ court, and they must prove that they deserve to play in a big club, such as the agreement and preserving its history.

He added, “Everyone knows that the accumulated administrative errors led the team to its current situation, surprising the talk about the old players staying away from their club, indicating that they were not invited or consulted until they gave their opinion, but were ignored.”

He added, “With this administration, we have lost all hope for the correction, and the only hope remains, in short, that the players provide high technical performance and play in a fighting spirit to preserve the name of the entity, as well as preserve their value as professional players. As for anything else, it is considered a waste of time, whether it is related to the technical staff.” or administrative or otherwise.