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Oman’s coach Claude le Roy (second from right) speaks to the media at the Hotel Crowne Plaza yesterday.

By A Seshagiri Rao
THE Sultanate's quest for the maiden Gulf Cup crown begins today when the Frenchman Claude le Roy-coached squad take on nine-time champions Kuwait in the inaugural match of the 19th edition of the region's premier soccer championship. The opening match, to be played after a simple inaugural ceremony to be presided over by chief guest His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tareq al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture, is scheduled to kick off at 6.00 pm. The Oman team, who have become a major force to be reckoned with after their exploits in the last two editions when they missed the trophy by a whisker, are now confidently looking forward to the challenges ahead and hoping to bring joy to the soccer-mad countrymen by lifting the coveted trophy on January 17.

The expectations, especially after the good showing at the 17th and 18th editions in Doha and Abu Dhabi where they settled for the second place, have reached the zenith and the team too have gained in confidence under Claude le Roy. And the recent title triumph in the four-nation tournament at home did a world of good to the confidence of the team while it has further raised the hopes of the Sultanate's soccer fans. While a confident Oman team are hoping to get 'third time lucky', as the Sultanate is also hosting the championship for the third time, the fans’ expectations are getting even bigger and they are now not ready to settle for anything less than the winners' cup. So it is important for the Omanis to make a good start in their Group 'A' match but the team, though confident as they seem, will be in a tricky situation in the inaugural match.

First they will be under tremendous pressure as they attempt not to be bogged down by the weight of expectations and satisfy their fans by earning full points. Secondly, they will come up against a Kuwait team who, going by the reports, are not in prime shape for the championship. The Kuwaiti participation was confirmed only recently after the Fifa temporary lifted suspension of their national body, which was imposed following political meddling in association activities. But Oman coach, speaking at the match-eve press conference at the Hotel Crowne Plaza yesterday said, refused to take the Kuwaitis lightly. "Kuwait team can never be taken lightly. They have a great soccer tradition and they are historically a strong football nation. They are nine times Gulf champions. We have to remember that," Claude le Roy said.

"Of course, they did not do well in Abu Dhabi last time. But we all know they can raise their game and comeback fighting." Le Roy also preferred to draw attention to the team's recent form. "They played a very good match against UAE recently which ended a draw. Going by that performance, the present Kuwait team are a very compact team that cannot be taken lightly," he said. At the same time Le Roy added Oman are confidently looking forward for the Kuwait match. "We are ready for the Kuwait challenge. We have very good knowledge about their team, individual players and their game. We are tactically ready for the Kuwait match," he said.

ALL SET FOR THE FIRST MATCH: The Kuwait and Oman (right) teams train ahead of today’s
Gulf Cup opening. The two teams will kick off the 19th edition of the championship at the SQSC.

While thanking the Oman Football Association (OFA) for all the support in preparing the team for the Gulf Cup, he said: "The OFA has helped the team a lot. They made all the arrangements and then allowed us to focus preparing for the tournament. We are thankful for that. "But as I have been saying in the past, if the team wins it is everybody's victory and if we lose only I am to be blamed," he said. Le Roy also refused to buy the opinion the team will be under pressure to perform at home. "I don't believe in that. In fact, the pressure is good for the team. This team is very talented. The players are confident. They have the ability to perform well under any circumstances," he said. "There is no doubt that as hosts and after the good showing in the last championships, this team is expected to win the title this time. I can assure one thing: this team is ready and as hosts we are ready to win the Cup."

Asked whether the Oman team are ready to lift the Cup and whether he sees any team stopping them from clinching the maiden title, he said: "As I said this team is capable of winning the Cup. But first we have to focus on the league matches. We are not looking beyond that." "Our first target is to do well against Kuwait, Iraq and Bahrain. Then we will think about the other matches," he added. While Le Roy patiently answered all the questioned fired at him by a large gathering of mediapersons from all over the Gulf region, the Kuwait coach, Mohammed Ibrahim failed to turn up at the press conference. Though the organisers said they were not aware of why the former Kuwait captain skipped the press conference, the sources said that the team was not given prior information about the briefing.

CHANGE IN FORTUNES
A look at the history suggests that Oman's overall Gulf Cup record against Kuwait has not been encouraging but there is certainly a change in fortunes of the team in the recent past. And Claude le Roy’s boys can draw inspiration from their last three Gulf Cup matches, which the Omanis dominated to win twice and draw the other. In the Gulf Cup tournaments, Oman lost nine of the 16 matches they played against Kuwait but they beat them 3-1 in 2002, played out a goalless draw in 2004 and scored a 2-1 win in 2007 in Abu Dhabi.

While the highlight of their victory in 2002 was a fine hat-trick by former captain Hani al Dhabit, it is the last encounter in the UAE capital that will be remembered by the Sultanate fans for ever. The 2-1 victory, which sealed a semifinal berth, is best remembered for Hashim Saleh's sensational goal, considered one of the best in the tournament's history. The Kuwaitis will desperately be looking to avenge those losses, especially the last one that dented their pride. And it remains to be seen how the Omanis will handle their hungry rivals and the pressure of playing at home while attempting to make a flying start. Let the force be with Le Roy's boys.

Oman team: Ali al Habsi, Imaad al Hosni, Badr al Maimani, Mohammed Rabee’a, Khalifa Ayil, Hassan Mudhaffar, Ahmed Mubarak ‘Kanu’, Ahmed Hadeed, Fauzi Basheer, Jabr Mohammed al Owaisi, Said Ashoon, Hussain al Hadri, Sultan al Toqi, Hassan Rabee’a, Hashim Saleh, Saad Suhail, Juma Darwish al Mashari, Mansoor Jameel, Mohammed al Howaidi, Sulaiman al Shukairi, Ahmed Rashid al Khatri, Sulaiman Said al Shukaili, Ismail al Ajmi, Abdulrahman al Alawi, Ahmed Mana’e al Noobi and Mohammed Abdullah al Balushi.