Saudi Arabia dismisses ‘meal row’ rumours over Musab Al-Juwayr’s Gulf Cup 27 omission

Saudi Arabia team director Fahad Al-Mufarrij has rejected claims that Musab Al-Juwayr was removed from the squad’s Gulf Cup 27 training camp because of a dispute over a meal.

Al-Juwayr’s exclusion had prompted widespread discussion after the Saudi national team announced that the Al-Qadsiah player had been dropped for disciplinary reasons without specifying the nature of the breach. That led to several accounts circulating on social media, including a report that the incident involved a meal.

Mufarrij said the decision was not taken because of an isolated or minor incident. He explained that Al-Juwayr had breached the camp’s internal regulations, was warned after the first offence, and then repeated the breach.

The director said the technical and administrative staff had therefore applied the relevant punishment under the team’s rules.

Mufarrij denies meal story

“Musab Al-Juwayr is one of the promising talents, but we have regulations and systems. The player breached them and was punished,” Mufarrij told the media.

He added that the precise details of the offence were an internal matter and could not be fully disclosed because of the need to protect the privacy of the team’s work inside the camp.

Addressing the story that Al-Juwayr had been excluded after requesting or bringing in a meal, Mufarrij said it was untrue.

“The matter is bigger than just a meal, and such an incident could not by itself be a reason to exclude a player from the national team,” he said.

“It is not reasonable to exclude a player because of a meal. That is not true.”

Mufarrij said the breach had occurred again despite the warning issued by the technical and administrative staff. He said that made it unacceptable for the situation to continue, particularly because the camp’s rules and procedures had been explained to every player from the beginning.

‘The system applies to everyone’

Mufarrij stressed that Al-Juwayr’s importance to the team was not in question and that his footballing ability had not influenced the decision.

“Musab is important, but we have a system. If you overlook it, the camp will become chaotic,” he said.

The Saudi team director said the squad’s regulations and disciplinary procedures had been presented to all players on the first day of the camp, with the requirements explained to them. Each player was therefore aware of the standards expected during their time with the national team.

“We presented the regulations and procedures to the players. Al-Juwayr’s breach was repeated, so we removed him to preserve order,” Mufarrij said.

He said the decision was not intended to target the player, but to maintain discipline within the camp before Saudi Arabia begin their Gulf Cup 27 campaign.