Khaled Al-Shenaif tells players unable to handle pressure to ‘play squash or skiing’

Khaled Al-Shenaif has told footballers who cannot cope with pressure to consider playing another sport, saying pressure is an unavoidable part of the game.

The Saudi media presenter said his comments were a general message to players, rather than one aimed specifically at Saudi Arabia forward Abdullah Al-Hamdan. However, they came amid strong criticism of Al-Hamdan, which prompted his father to respond and call on officials to intervene to protect his son.

Speaking on the television programme Dorina Ghair, Al-Shenaif said: “Those who cannot handle pressure should not play football. They should play skiing or squash, because football is full of pressure.”

He added: “Players receive salaries of 10 to 15m Saudi riyals a year. What does a player have to fear about his future?”

Al-Shenaif continued: “Everything is available to them. If you cannot live with the moment you are experiencing, you will not be a footballer. You have to withstand the pressure, the criticism and everything else, because that is the nature of your life. Everything comes with a price.”

He said the demands placed on footballers begin in training and come from coaches, team-mates and supporters, both at club and national-team level.

“Pressure on football players starts in training, from coaches and players, and from fans at clubs and with the national team,” he said. “There are also injuries, problems at home and problems on the pitch. This is not something directed only at Abdullah Al-Hamdan, but at all football players.”

Al-Hamdan had a subdued performance as Saudi Arabia began their Arabian Gulf Cup “Khaleeji 27” campaign with a 1-0 victory over Kuwait on Wednesday.

The Group stage match was played at Alinma Stadium, where Saudi Arabia will face Oman on Saturday in their second game of the competition.

Saudi Arabia need to win by any score against Oman to secure a place in the semi-finals, regardless of the result of their final group game against Iraq on Tuesday.

Al-Shenaif also posted his message on social media, writing: “The player who cannot handle pressure should not play football… he should go and play skiing or something else. Players, thankfully, earn millions a year, everything is provided for them. That is life: when you receive something, you give something in return. The message is for all players.”