Salmiya Breaks Silence on Kuwait's Blue Squad Selections
10 November 2025
Background of the Controversy
Salmiya Sporting Club publicly criticized the Kuwait national team coach Helio Sousa's selection for the training camp abroad in Egypt, raising questions about who made the cut and why certain players were left out.
The club's first statement questioned why standout players were left out, naming Mehdi Dashti, Bader Jamal, and Mohammed Al-Huwaidi as players many expect to have joined “the Blues” and to contribute to the squad, given their form in the domestic league.
The statement also questioned the rationale behind bringing in players currently dealing with injuries or not regularly featuring for their clubs, asking what the wisdom is in sidelining ready-to-play talent in favour of less fit or less in-form players.
The second statement asserted: “The silent man is a mute devil, and we respect a star while not naming him out of respect for the player and the national team; his minutes in the domestic league were only around 15 in eight matches.”
The club reaffirmed its support for building a strong, competitive national team but warned that opaque decisions could weaken the squad and disappoint fans.
In the second release, Salmiya added: “The one who keeps quiet on truth is a devil with speechless lips; we salute a star, but we will not name him out of respect for the player and the team—he has played just 15 minutes across eight league games.”
The piece then notes that the Kuwait national team, led by Portuguese coach Helio Sousa, announced a 23-player squad for the Cairo training camp ahead of the Arab Cup in Qatar in December 2025.
The roster included goalkeepers Sulaiman Abdul Ghafour, Khaled Al-Rashidi, Saoud Al-Houshan; defenders Nasser Khadr, Muath Al-Dhafiri, Rasheed Al-Dosari, Fahd Al-Hajri, Hassan Hamdan, Mohammed Al-Sharifi, Khaled Sabah, Abdul Wahab Al-Awadi, Nasser Fahh; midfielders Muath Al-Anzi, Rida Hani, Sultan Al-Anzi, Fawaz Ayed, Ahmed Al-Dhifi, Adabi Shahab; forwards Shabeeb Al-Khalidi, Yusuf Nasser, Yusuf Majed, Eid Al-Rashidi, Mohammad Daham.
The camp aims to raise technical and physical readiness for the team as they prepare for the Arab Cup matches in Doha, with two friendlies against Tanzania and Gambia scheduled on November 14 and 18 at Cairo International Stadium.
The event also serves as preparation for Kuwait’s qualifier match against Mauritania for a place in the Arab Cup 2025 finals; the winners will advance to join Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE in Group C, with the remainder of the field decided by subsequent qualifying matches in Doha in November 2025.
Kuwait’s delegation to Egypt is led by Iman Al-Husseini, with the coaching and medical staff accompanying; this Cairo camp marks the third gathering for Sousa since September’s camp in Doha, followed by friendlies in Tashkent and the UAE, where the Blue lost to Uzbekistan and Morocco’s local team respectively.
The Arab Cup 2025 kicks off in Qatar from December 1-18, 2025, with matches across six stadiums—opening at Al-Bayt and the final at Lusail Stadium. Sixteen teams with automatic slots include host Qatar and defending champions Algeria; seven other teams will qualify through playoff rounds in November in Qatar, including Oman vs Somalia, Bahrain vs Djibouti, Syria vs South Sudan, Palestine vs Libya, Lebanon vs Sudan, Kuwait vs Mauritania, and Yemen vs Comoros.
Two punchlines to end on a lighter note: 1) If silence is deafening, this press release is a megaphone with a built-in referee whistle. 2) If clarity were a striker, this squad list would be on goal—just not in the top corner on the first attempt.
