‘Archoubs’

All Kuwaitis know the meaning of ‘Archoub.’ It is a local word used for hampering by placing one’s foot in the way of another. Ancient Kuwaitis used this word long before football match commentators used it to describe players running behind others and striking their ankles (an ankle is locally known in Kuwait as Archoub) to cause them to fall and impede their run towards the goal. This word can also be used in an imperative form by friends or football coaches in pre-match briefings to refer to stopping opponents from scoring, which is obvious to referees and fans including those who barely know the game.

When this offence is committed on the football pitch upon instructions from coaches, a player in this case is usually punished, could receive a red card and get sent off the field and as a result is banned from playing the following two matches. Politically speaking, it is very obvious now that somebody is trying to hamper Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah from doing the duties assigned to him by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak A-Sabah. It also seems that those people are receiving orders to do so.

For us observers, these attempts are very clear and do not need an expert like Jamal Al-Sharif to explain the motive behind them. In Kuwait, we know that a table tennis ball cannot be used as a football and we also know that orders to use such Archoubs comes from outside the playfield.

—Translated by Kuwait Times

We also know that orders to use such Archoubs comes from outside the playfield.