Kuwait Clubs begin early preparations for the new season
Kuwait Club has confirmed the renewal of Montenegrin coach Nebojsa Jovovic's contract, along with his technical staff. The decision, endorsed by the club's board, came after a stellar season where Jovovic guided the team to a domestic treble—clinching the Super Cup, Zain Premier League, and Crown Prince Cup—and reached the final of the Amir's Cup against Al-Arabi. The final was scheduled for the day before yesterday but has been postponed due to regional circumstances.
The new contract was signed in the presence of Club Chairman Khaled Al-Ghanim and Adel Aqla.
Al-Arabi is actively reviewing coaching candidates to succeed Nasser Al-Shatti, who is close to joining Al-Salmiya as a replacement for Croatian coach Ante Miša. Though Miša is contracted through next season, Al-Salmiya is keen to part ways with him after failing to secure any titles under his leadership.
Among the frontrunners for the Al-Arabi post is Bosnian coach Rosmir Sefko, who briefly coached Kazma earlier this year and had a previous stint with the Greens.
On the player front, Al-Arabi has decided not to renew the contracts of Moroccan Hamza Khaba, Bahraini Kamil Lassoued, and Algerian Sofiane Bouchar. Nigerian forward Emmanuel Iwala will stay, while the future of compatriot Christopher John remains undecided.
Al-Salmiya has opted to keep Tunisian striker Imad Louati and Brazilian midfielder Alex Lima for the upcoming season. The club settled with Libyan winger Al-Sanousi Al-Hadi, whose contract runs until the end of next season, and decided not to renew the contracts of Gambian Sang Pierre and Syrian defender Amr Midani.
Al-Qadsiya renewed contracts with Nigerian forward Daniel Gibola and Moroccan midfielder Mehdi Berrahma for a second season. Both will join Libyan winger Mohamed Soula, who remains under contract.
However, the club has parted ways with Moroccan striker Ismail Khafi and Algerian defender Hussein Dhiri. Preparations for the new season are set to ramp up upon the arrival of Tunisian coach Nabil Maaloul, expected in mid-July, to finalize pre-season plans.
Moroccan forward Hamza Khaba may continue his journey in the local league, with reports suggesting Al-Qadsiya is interested in acquiring his services. Khaba had an impressive two-season run with Al-Arabi, where he emerged as the team's top scorer.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
9 hours ago
- Arab Times
Al-Adwani: Academic commitments hinder the preparation of national handball teams
KUWAIT CITY, Aug 20: Kuwait Handball Association Secretary, Qaed Al-Adwani, stressed that academic commitments remain one of the biggest challenges facing the preparation of the national handball teams. 'When preparing our national teams for international competitions, we face many obstacles — the most significant being academic responsibilities. These prevent players from maintaining regular training schedules and, in some cases, even stop top talents from joining the national team in major tournaments,' Al-Adwani explained. He pointed to the U-19 national team's participation in the recent World Championship in Cairo as a clear example. The squad had only 18 to 20 days of preparation — far less than other teams, which train year-round. 'Despite the short preparation, our players still delivered an impressive performance at the World Cup, thanks to the efforts of the coaching and administrative staff,' he added. Al-Adwani called on the relevant authorities to cooperate with sports federations, particularly in matters related to academics, to ease the challenges players face and ensure Kuwait is represented on the international stage in a way that reflects its stature. Meanwhile, Kuwait's U-17 national team continues its local training camp ahead of the Asian Championship — the qualifiers for the Junior World Cup in Morocco — which will kick off in Jordan on September 15 under Croatian coach Ivan and his Kuwaiti assistant Khaled Al-Mulla. On a separate note, handball referees are also preparing for the 2025-2026 season with daily training sessions and theoretical seminars. Referees Committee Chairman Ahmed Al-Mutawa highlighted that recent updates to local and international officiating regulations require practice and application to ensure referees perform at the highest level on the court.
Arab Times
10 hours ago
- Arab Times
Kuwait U-17 suffers friendly loss in Cairo
CAIRO, Aug 20: Kuwait's U-17 girls' team lost 2-0 to Egypt's Al-Jazira Club in its first friendly match, part of its training camp currently underway in Cairo. The team is scheduled to play several more friendly matches before the camp concludes in early September. The team is preparing for the Asian Cup qualifiers for the 2026 finals in China. Kuwait has been drawn into Group B alongside Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Lebanon. The qualifiers will be held in Saudi Arabia from October 13 to 17.
Arab Times
10 hours ago
- Arab Times
Qadsia storms past Al-Wehda 4-1 in Turkey
ISTANBUL, Aug 20: Qadsia continued its preseason preparation in Turkey with a 4-1 friendly win over Saudi side Al-Wehda. Goals came from Mubarak Al-Fanini, Eid Al-Rashidi, Abdullah Al-Awadhi, and Rashid Al-Dosari. Earlier in the camp, Qadsia drew 2-2 with Al-Faisaly, lost 1-0 to Al-Okhdood, and beat the UAE's Fujairah 2-0. Its next friendly is against the Bahraini team Sitra on Saturday, the same opponent it will face in Group A of the Gulf Club Champions League starting September 30. The camp concludes with a match against Saudi club Al-Orouba on August 28. Algerian professional Sofiane Bouchar missed the match due to his mother's passing, while Moroccan Mehdi Barhama was absent following a disagreement with the club's management. Kuwait Club claimed its second friendly win during its Prague training camp, defeating Slavia Prague 3-2. Goals were scored by Amro Abdel-Fattah, Ali Hussein, and Mohamed Daham. The team resumes training today as it prepares for the Zain Premier League opener against Al-Tadamun on September 12. Al-Arabi opens its Dubai preseason camp with a friendly against Dubai City today, followed by a clash with Al-Arabi UAE on Sunday. The team will remain in Dubai until August 28 in preparation for its domestic season opener against Al-Shabab on September 12. Al-Salmiya continues its Turkish camp with a second friendly today against Izmir Korulu, following a 4-1 win over Magusa in its first match.
