Musab Al-Juwair dropped from Saudi Arabia squad for Gulf Cup 27 after disciplinary issues

Musab Al-Juwair has been left out of Saudi Arabia’s squad for Gulf Cup 27 after a series of disciplinary concerns, with his request for a meal from a restaurant reportedly the final incident behind the decision.

The tournament will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 23 September to 6 October. Saudi Arabia are in Group A alongside Iraq, Kuwait and Oman, while the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Yemen make up Group B.

Saudi Arabia begin their campaign against Kuwait next Wednesday.

According to Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, the decision to remove Al-Juwair, who plays for Al-Qadsiah, followed a number of observations made by the national team’s coaching staff during the training camp.

The report said the 23-year-old’s request to order dinner from a restaurant breached the rules governing Saudi Arabia’s camps. It added that other disciplinary issues had already been recorded before the incident.

Head coach Georgios Donis and Saudi Arabia team director Fahad Al-Mufarrij subsequently decided to exclude Al-Juwair from the final squad, despite recognising his technical value as a player. Mukhtar Ali was selected in his place.

Asharq Al-Awsat said the omission was not related to footballing considerations.

Al-Juwair has made 39 international appearances for Saudi Arabia, scoring six goals and providing four assists.

Previous Gulf Cup disciplinary decisions

The report also recalled similar decisions taken during earlier editions of the Gulf Cup.

At the first tournament in 1970, severe punishments were imposed on several players. The most serious sanctions were lifetime bans for Al-Noor Musa and Saeed Ghareeb, while a number of other players also received penalties.

During the 1992 Gulf Cup, action was taken against Saudi Arabia stars Yousef Al-Thunayan and Fahad Al-Herifi.

Al-Thunayan remained on the substitutes’ bench for the rest of the tournament, while Al-Herifi was removed from the Saudi Arabia camp altogether.