Jassem Al-Huwaidi in an interview with the Gulf Cup Federation: That is why I moved to Al Hilal.. and this is my message to the State of Qatar
The Kuwaiti football deer and its shining star, the owner of achievements, championships and titles, the judo champion who became one of the top 10 Arab scorers. He gave football all his energy, and he excelled at all levels, and his name is still shining in the memory of Gulf and Arab football, Jassim Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Huwaidi.
- I loved judo because of its strength and art, and left it because of the danger
- I switched from goalkeeping to attacking because I like to score goals rather than concede them.
- Al-Nasr extended his negotiations, and Al-Hilal was more serious.
- The Kuwaiti national team is not in its condition, the challenges will go away and the blue will return to its former glory
- Qatar is the capital of sports, and the pride of the Gulf, Arabs and the continent of Asia.
Q – How did you get started with football?
The beginning is always for any football player, which is the railway or the fairway, then at school, and until the secondary stage, I used to play judo in Qadisiyah, then I moved to football through Captain Majdi Salem, I graduated in the age levels until I reached the first team and the Kuwaiti national team.
Q – An early start with judo in Salmiya 1983, what drew you to it? Why did you leave it after achieving the brown belt?
I played judo by chance. Ibrahim Ashour, captain of the Kuwait national team, is a colleague of my father and he influenced me in practicing it. I loved it because of its strength and art, but on the other hand, it is not without danger. I had a broken leg in one of the tournaments, which made me think seriously about leaving it even though I graduated in it and was the Kuwaiti champion in my weight, and I participated in local and international championships and achieved the brown belt, and I do not deny that I enjoyed practicing judo for a while.
Q- Magdy Salem, the secret, how did you turn into football? Why did you leave goalkeeping and become a striker?
Majdi Salem is the one who convinced my father to play football for Salmiya Club. At first I started as a goalkeeper, but I did not like the guard. I did not want to receive goals, but rather to score them, so I left goalkeeping and turned into a player. In the middle of the spring break we faced Al Sahel Club, and the team was incomplete. And in the presence of Abdullah Al-Masoud, I asked Captain Magdy Salem to put Abdullah as a goalkeeper and switch me from guarding to attacking. He agreed and I scored two goals during the meeting, and the march later extended to the end as a striker.
Q- Tell us about your first professional experience?
Professionalism, of course, has always been the dream of any football player. I had the opportunity to become professional 3 times, UAE Youth 1998, Saudi Al Hilal 2000, and 2001 with Al Rayyan Qatar. They had the opportunity to participate in that period, and this made me very happy. We reached the final of the Sheikh Zayed Cup, may God have mercy on him (the UAE Federation Cup), we faced Al Ain and lost with a goal, and this was an achievement for me in my first professional experience to reach the final.
Q – In a resounding deal, after the struggle of victory and Al Hilal, you moved to Al Hilal. What are your memories of this event? Did not return quickly to Salmiya?
The move to Al Hilal caused a great uproar, as Al-Nasr entered the line of negotiations, but prolonged it a lot, unlike Al Hilal, which was more serious, as Prince Bandar bin Muhammad, the club’s president, contacted me, and on the next day directly he came to Kuwait and completed the deal in favor of the leaders, my experience in Al Hilal, I was very happy with it from all sides, the fans, the management, the honorary members, the atmosphere in which I lived inside the club’s walls. I never felt like a professional, but rather a son of the club. There is absolutely no dispute.
Q- What about Al-Rayyan experience?
As for the Qatari Rayyan stage, the Qatari League was not the same as it is now, where professionalism is in everything. Despite that, Al Rayyan’s experience had a good impact and imprint on my career. Al-Rayyan was not like it is now, we were training in a park, where they were in the construction stage of the stadium, and I did not join it, but Al-Rayyan now is completely different from the club I played for before, the club is now something indescribable.
Q- Tell us about your joining the Kuwaiti Blue and the titles in your international journey?
My arrival to the national team was from the Salmiya gate, I played for the Olympics, we arrived at Barcelona, and then the first team achieved the Gulf Cup, the fourth Asia, and the third Arab, and of course any player wishes that his participation with his team is full of achievements, thank God and I hope that I have done something good for the Blues with my colleagues. We represented Kuwait in an acceptable manner.
Q- What are the most important special titles you achieved? And what is closest to you?
With the national team, I won many titles, all of which are of course beloved to me, the world’s top scorer, the best Arab player 98, the second best Arab player 99, the Gulf top scorer with 9 goals in Gulf 14, 98, the best player in November with Al Hilal club by the AFC, the best player In December with the Kuwaiti Blue, all are accomplishments that are not counted only for me, but for the team as a whole and the technical and administrative staff.
Q- How do you see the Kuwaiti blue now? And when will Kuwaiti football return to its previous era?
The Kuwaiti team is not in its condition now, the appearance of the team in this way is sad, and those challenges that Kuwaiti football is going through, but I think that this will not last long, there will be a move soon. This did not come out of nowhere, but rather with work and diligence.The challenges will go away, God willing, and Kuwaiti football will return to its former glory.
Q – A message to the State of Qatar before the start of the World Cup?
Qatar today is the capital of Gulf and Arab sports. Doha’s hosting of the World Cup is a pride for every Asian Arab, especially as it possesses the ingredients for its success even before the start of the global wedding, according to everyone’s testimony, and in all respects, stadiums, capabilities, organization, and the last Arab Cup was a real spectacle of what will happen during the World Cup in Qatar. I congratulate the government of Qatar, and I especially highlight Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad and those responsible for sports, for the work they do, and I wish them success. In short, Qatar is the pride of the Gulf, Arabs and the continent of Asia.
last word..
Thank you to the Arab Gulf Cup Federation website for this meeting. I wish all the Gulf teams success because the development of Gulf football is reflected on the international level.