The Al Shaab Sentinel
Market7 Sep 2026
Hamad Obaid hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Al Shaab can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Al Shaab close the window on a squad of their own making
17 in and 4 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Market7 Sep 2026
Al Shabab join the queue for Khalid Al Naqbi
Add another name to the list: Al Shabab have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Khalid Al Naqbi. The answer from Al Shaab has not changed — yet.
Squad7 Sep 2026
A falling-out at Al Shaab
Khalfan Abdulrahman and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Graduation day at Al Shaab
5 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Market7 Sep 2026
Al Shaab promote Hassan Al Menhali from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Hassan Al Menhali has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market7 Sep 2026
One of our own: Omar Al Junaibi joins the Al Shaab first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Omar Al Junaibi is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Khalid Al Naqbi is no longer first choice
The manager has re-ordered his thinking and Khalid Al Naqbi has come out of it lower. He will be told it is temporary, and the players who have heard that before will avoid his eye.
Squad7 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Al Shaab
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Hamad Al Junaibi was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
In brief
- Squad Mohammed Fawzi retires from international football
- Boardroom Al Shaab say no to the training-ground money
- Looking ahead Looking ahead: Al Dhafra at home