From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match4 Sep 2027
Al-Jeel made Al-Faisaly work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Amin Heydari gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Keny Arroyo named player of the month
The award goes to Keny Arroyo, and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.
Squad6 Sep 2027
The captaincy has been taken off Marek Rodák. Al-Faisaly will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
Squad6 Sep 2027
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Al-Faisaly have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Market6 Sep 2027
The clock runs on Eiler Aponzá's contract
12 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad9 Aug 2027
A new face in his position, and Raphael Silva suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Al-Faisaly have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market9 Aug 2027
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Reva Adi Utama arrives at Al-Faisaly with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market9 Aug 2027
Munif Doshi linked with a move away
The name of Munif Doshi keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Al-Faisaly say nothing, which says plenty.
Market9 Aug 2027
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Abdulrahman Al-Sherif moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
Market9 Aug 2027
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Mohammed Al-Aqeel leaves Al-Faisaly the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market12 Jul 2027
Munif Doshi linked with a move away
The name of Munif Doshi keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Al-Faisaly say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Ibrahima N'Diaye has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
Squad12 Jul 2027
The language is arriving, the jokes are landing, and there is somebody at the next peg to talk to. None of it appears in a scouting report and all of it shows up on the pitch.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market28 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market28 Jun 2027
The name of Ibrahima N'Diaye keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Al-Faisaly say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom21 Jun 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Al-Faisaly
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market21 Jun 2027
Ohod pay $95.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Market21 Jun 2027
Al-Ra'ed pay $48.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Squad21 Jun 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market21 Jun 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Munif Doshi may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Market21 Jun 2027
A season-long audition: Al-Mojzel still own him, but the shirt and the minutes are Al-Faisaly's to give. A loan is a bet both clubs believe they are winning.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market14 Jun 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Morato gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market14 Jun 2027
Munif Doshi told to find a new club
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Munif Doshi has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Al-Faisaly.
Market14 Jun 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Al-Faisaly will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad14 Jun 2027
International call for Marek Rodák
Marek Rodák joins up with his country. Al-Faisaly lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
Squad14 Jun 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match23 Jan 2027
20 matches without a win for Al-Faisaly
The run now stands at 20, and the questions being asked around Al-Faisaly are no longer polite ones.
Match25 Jan 2027
10 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market25 Jan 2027
Romell Quioto 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-Faisaly can pretend not to have heard.
Market25 Jan 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad25 Jan 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match23 Jan 2027
0-2 to Al-Ra'ed, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match16 Jan 2027
19 matches without a win for Al-Faisaly
The run now stands at 19, and the questions being asked around Al-Faisaly are no longer polite ones.
Market18 Jan 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Al-Faisaly is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match16 Jan 2027
Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Marek Rodák gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Sultan Farhan asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.