The Al Shaab Sentinel
Squad6 Sep 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Habib Yousuf
49 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Al Shaab lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market6 Sep 2027
Brahim Sabaouni 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.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
Al Shaab close the window on a squad of their own making
19 in and 21 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.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Words exchanged at Al Shaab
Hamad Obaid and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
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.
Market6 Sep 2027
One of our own: Mohamed Suqrat joins the Al Shaab first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Mohamed Suqrat is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market6 Sep 2027
Al Shaab promote Hamdan Al Junaibi from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Hamdan Al Junaibi 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.
Market6 Sep 2027
Fahad Al Junaibi steps up from the Al Shaab academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Fahad Al Junaibi has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Luigi Longo out for 22 days
The medical room confirms 22 days on the sidelines for Luigi Longo, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
In brief
- Squad Habib Yousuf wants to go home
- Boardroom Al Shaab let a promise lapse
- The dugout No hiding place for Hicham Khaloua