Video: Saudi media figure: Kuwait's matches are guaranteed, and this is the secret of our superiority | Goal.com
Saudi media pundit Turki Al-Ajma sprang a surprise about the Saudi national team's clash with Kuwait, revealing a striking detail that he said put him at ease before kick-off. One of "the Blues'" biggest sources of strength, he claimed, was missing from the game.
Al-Ajma said, on his programme "Al-Mansa" on the "Thmanyah" network of channels: "When I saw the Kuwaiti national team wearing the colour red, I felt at ease, because blue gives them great strength and makes them a fierce competitor, especially in the Gulf Cup," a nod to Kuwait's historic association with the colour blue.
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The Saudi pundit went on to say that Kuwait's matches against Saudi Arabia in various tournaments are usually different affairs, but he believes the Kuwaitis turn into an extremely difficult opponent when the Gulf Cup is on the line. In that competition, "the Blues" become a different beast entirely.
According to Al-Ajma, Kuwait's red shirt rather than blue was the reason for his reassurance before the encounter. He reckons the colour blue carries a real psychological weight for the Kuwaitis, particularly at the Gulf Cup.
He said: "Kuwait's matches against Saudi Arabia in all tournaments are guaranteed, but in the Gulf Cup it appears in a different form, it is the bogeyman of the tournament, because it turns then into an extremely difficult competitor," a description that captures just how tough the two sides' meetings become when the Gulf title is at stake.
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Al-Ajma signed off with a controversial verdict: "But wearing the colour red made them lose 50% of their strength and gave us the advantage." His interpretation pinned the difference between the two teams on the shirt Kuwait wore, and the remarks stirred fresh debate over the secret behind "the Blues'" strength in the Gulf Cup.
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