Pioneers of Kuwait Sheikh Fahad uses far-sighted policy
Young blood helps raise football team’s standard This is the sixth in a series of articles on Sheikh Fahad Al Ahmed Al Jaber Mubarak Al Sabah (19451990), a legendary figure and pioneer of the Africa-Asian sport movement, a poet, a writer and man of actio
ISpecial to the Arab Times ncidentally the good work Sheikh Fahad Al Ahmad did at the Qadisya Club when he took over the administration, brought the football team on to the threshold of championship with 32 victories to its credit.
After he was elected president of the Football Corporation in May 1974 Sheikh Fahad sought to use the Qadisya football team to spur other sport clubs in the country; for sport, like art, lives and thrives on enthusiasm!
To evoke a genuine enthusiastic response in the masses and in players alike many world championships were hosted not only to familiarize people with sport events and spur the development of local potentials, but also to develop local technical and organizing skills by having Kuwaiti coaches working with foreign ones to gain experience.
Part of Sheikh Fahad’s innovatory plan was to form a strong basis by relaying more heavily on new blood: a breed of new players to represent his country in world championships.
His objective was establishing a national team consisting of seasoned players and new ones whose loyalty and dedication to the sport was above personal gains.
At first the new players were incorporated in the national team to cover the absence of seasoned players who failed to attend for one reason or another. One of those reasons was the strict, even harsh training they had to undergo testing their commitment and stamina.
From the start people who did not understand his farsighted policy in regard to young players, were criticizing the Sheikh making a big fuss, but he ignored it knowing he was doing the right thing.
In 1978 the Twentieth Asian Youth Championship of Football was held in Bangladesh; that was the chance Sheikh Fahad had been waiting to test the potentials of a selected team of young players in a world sport event.
Named — Shabab Al Watan (the Nation’s Youths ) a team of 35 young players were chosen to take part in the tournament. Taken to Brazil for two months training under the famous Brazilian coach, Carlos Alberto, they engaged in matches with some of the strongest local teams to gain confidence and experience. All through the training Sheikh Fahad was with them lending moral support, training with them and nurturing them on the principles of true sportsmanship, while instilling in them a feeling of responsibility in representing their country.
Tournament
Leaving Kuwait airport heading for Bangladesh to take part in its first world event the team was accompanied by Sheikh Fahad, the Brazilian trainer and scores of KOC officials and the media.
In the first tournament in which his team was playing against Democratic Yemen, Sheikh Fahad was watching every move, hardly hiding his emotion when the first goal was scored.
The match ended with equalizing points 1-1, but that was enough to spur the confidence of his young players in meeting the next challenge with a stronger determination to win.
Pitted against Singapore the team engaged with such a zeal that it began scoring one goal after another, winning the match by five goals to one (5-1). Hugging his team with pride Sheikh Fahad was cautioning his young players that it was only their first step on the long road to championship, so he advised them to remain alert and not to allow one victory make them lose their concentration. He also reminded them they were like soldiers fighting for their country.
As he was hoping the next contest with Bangladesh was another victory with two goals to zero (2-0).
When playing with Iran his team met with its first disappointment, because, soon after it scored a goal, it had to withdraw from the match for infringing some rules.
When pitted against Iraq, Kuwait lost by one extra goal scored during the over-time; the match ended with six goals for Iraq against five for the Kuwaitis, (6-5)_ leaving the young players demoralized.
Feeling they needed some boosting Sheikh Fahad cautioned them not to be sore losers, but to take the matter in good spirit, never lose heart. Reassured, the young players took to the next contest with South Korea with unmarred enthusiasm ending the match with equalizing scores- one goal to one (1-1).
In the Asian Youth Championship Kuwait emerged in third place; that in itself was a victory that proved the validity of his strategy; indeed the whole event spurred even the seasoned players to do their best.
When Sheikh Fahad Al Ahmad sought to have seasoned players taking part in world-championship with younger ones, he met with a stiff opposition from those who didn’t see his far-sighted policy. Unperturbed he implemented his scheme during the fifth Gulf championship tournament held at Baghdad.