Al-Dabet in his interview with AGCFF: The year 2001 is exceptional… and this is what the red needs to achieve the dream of qualifying for the World Cup

<<< The Gulf championships have a great merit, and I am very proud of them, especially as they knew the Gulf fans by Hani Al-Dabet.

<<< I was the first Omani player to play outside the Sultanate, when I moved to Baniyas Club in 2002, after which the Omani players started professionally.

<<< It is a feeling of pride and honor to be at the top of the pyramid of scorers and the historical top scorer for my country and to surpass the great stars.

One of the best players in the Oman national team throughout history, he surpassed all the stars that preceded him and those who followed him, to retain the title of the historical scorer of the Sultanate, and the only Omani player to achieve the title of world top scorer. He is the Omani legend Hani Al-Dabet, who was interviewed by the Gulf Cup Federation website in an interview to shed light on his distinguished career and his opinion on the reality of Omani football.

Q – With the Omani legend Hani Al-Dabet, the beginning had to be with January 19, 2002. What does this date represent to you?

The first victory over Kuwait in the Gulf tournaments and the recording of a hat-trick in the meeting, which ended 3/1, and is still stuck in the memory of the Omani sports street.

Q- What about the exceptional year 2001 for you?

Of course, an exceptional year, as I became the world’s top scorer with 22 goals, an award that I am very proud of and proud of during my football career.

Q – Back to 1994, the first Gulf club championship for juniors with Dhofar, tell us about that early experience?

One of the good and unforgettable experiences. It was our beginning at the Gulf level and the first championship outside the Sultanate. It was held in Abu Dhabi. We were able to win the championship cup and I was its top scorer with 3 goals under the leadership of the great coach Rashid Jaber.

Q – 1995, what are your memories of the World Cup in Ecuador?

It was the first participation of the Omani national team in the World Cup, we played high-level matches against international teams and our group was strong, including Brazil, Germany and Canada. We qualified for the round of 8 to face Nigeria and we won 2-1, and i scored the winning goal to qualify for the round of 4 to face Ghana, which was the champion of the world, we lost, and we played the third-place match against Argentina, we lost the match and scored the 4th place, but it remains a very positive participation in the history of Omani football.

Q – You participated in the Gulf 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, what do those participations represent to you in the championship that the people of the Gulf gather around?

The Gulf championships have a great merit, and I am very proud of them, especially as they knew the Gulf fans of Hani Al-Dabib, and any player in any Gulf team wishes to participate in the Gulf championships because of the great follow-up and interest they received in the Gulf, and what they represented in the player’s balance.

Q- What does Gulf 15 represent to Hani, during which you recorded your name in letters of gold?

It represented a lot to me, as I was the first Omani player to win the title of top scorer in the Gulf Championship with 5 goals, which is the total of the team’s goals in the tournament. Of course, one of my distinguished participations with the national team in my career.

Q- 2011, what about your experience with the Red Beaches in qualifying for the World Cup finals?

It was the first time that we participated in the World Cup, among the 16 best teams in the world, a strong experience that we benefited a lot from in the following tournaments.

Q – How did you start playing football? How did you turn from a hobby to an occupation and professionalism? To whom do you owe the credit for your journey?

It was the usual start, in the fairgrounds and the school, after which I joined the Sunni stages at the Dhofar Club. I gradually progressed until I was promoted to the first team. I owe thanks to the Egyptian coach Abdel Muhaimin Al-Sabahi, who was with me in the early stage of my career, then Rashid Jaber and all the coaches with whom I trained after during my career. Each of them had a favor and I benefited a lot from them.

Q- Professional experiences you started early, tell us about them?

I was the first Omani player to play outside the Sultanate, when I moved to Baniyas Club in 2002. After that, the Omani players started professionally outside the Sultanate. It was a good experience, from which I gained great experience and benefits, after which I moved in a second experience to the Qatari Al Sadd.

Q – How did you come to join the national teams?

The beginning was in 1994 through the junior team participating in the 1995 World Cup in Ecuador, after which I joined the youth team, then the Olympic team, and even the first team.

Q- 1998, what about the Asian Games hat-trick against Hong Kong?

One of the best memories, it was my first hat-trick with the first team, and we won the match with a big score, I think 6/1.

Q – How does Hani feel when he is at the top of the pyramid of Omani scorers throughout history?

It is a feeling of pride and honor to be among the top scorers and the historical scorer for my country, and to surpass the great stars who passed the Omani national team in the past years and were distinguished scorers.

Q- Where is the Omani football compared to the Gulf football?

Located in the second rank, I divide the Gulf football into two parts. Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Qatar come in the first rank, and in the second rank are Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq and Yemen.

Q- When will Al-Ahmar return to the podiums in the Gulf? What is needed to achieve this?

I think during the next few years, we will have a young team with an excellent average age of players, and it has good elements that need patience, as well as strong friction with high-level teams and participation in strong tournaments such as the recent Arab Cup.

Q – What do you think of Al-Ahmar’s journey to the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers, and was it possible to do better than it was?

Our journey during the qualifiers was average, and actually it could have been better than it was. We could have achieved better results and accumulate more points. We watched matches that could have been dealt with better, especially those that were on our land and among our fans. At the very least, we could have reached the playoffs.

Q- When will the dream of Al-Ahmar qualify for the World Cup come true?

If planning is provided for all matters and means to build a team competing for the World Cup, by providing all aspects of strong camps and matches and stabilizing the technical staff for successive years, with the presence of a project for the Sultanate in which everyone participates.