Saudi Arabia leave Musab Al-Juwayr out of Gulf Cup 27 squad for disciplinary reasons

Musab Al-Juwayr has been excluded from Saudi Arabia’s training camp for Gulf Cup 27 for disciplinary reasons, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.

The decision was made by the Saudi national team’s technical and administrative departments shortly before the tournament, with the competition due to begin in about three days. The unexpected omission of the 23-year-old midfielder surprised supporters and the wider Saudi football community.

Al-Juwayr appeared to be part of the squad as recently as Saturday evening, when the national team’s media centre published footage of him taking part in training alongside his team-mates. However, the Saudi federation announced his exclusion after midnight without initially providing further details.

Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the decision was not related to footballing considerations. Instead, it was intended to act as a deterrent and maintain discipline within the camp.

According to the report, Saudi officials believe that failing to deal firmly with any breach of team rules could encourage similar incidents among other players. They therefore opted for a decisive response designed to uphold the authority of the regulations and apply them equally to everyone.

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

Saudi Arabia will continue preparations on Sunday with a training session beginning at 19:00 at the training pitches of King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. The session will be open to the media for its first 15 minutes.

The team will begin their Gulf Cup 27 campaign against Kuwait on Wednesday, 23 September. They will then face Oman on Saturday, 26 September, before completing their group-stage fixtures against Iraq on Tuesday, 29 September.