The technical staff of the Qatar national team, led by Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui, received a pleasant surprise ahead of the highly anticipated match against Saudi Arabia in the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 27".
The Saudi Arabia vs. Qatar match will take place tomorrow, Saturday, at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, as part of the semi-final stage of the "Gulf 27" tournament.
Akram Afif's status for the Qatar vs. Saudi Arabia clash
The Qatari team's latest training session saw the participation of striker star Akram Afif, preparing for the match against the Saudi team, following the uncertainty surrounding his availability for the Gulf 27 summit.
Qatar's coach, Julen Lopetegui, had raised uncertainty regarding Akram Afif's participation against the Green Falcons during the press conference, stating: "Akram is suffering from an illness, and I do not know yet whether he will play in the match or not."
He added: "There are no excuses in this match; our focus is on playing and trying to outperform the opponent. The confrontation is difficult and preparation time was short, but we must defend well, attack sharply, and possess the necessary physical, mental, and tactical strength to do so."
Referee for the Saudi Arabia vs. Qatar match in Gulf 27
In a related development, the Referees Committee of the Gulf Football Federation appointed Pinheiro to officiate the match, assisted by his compatriots Pedro Ribeiro and Luciano Maia, while Bahraini Ammar Mahfouz will serve as the fourth official, and his compatriot Mohammed Jaafar Salman as the fifth official.
Chinese referee Fu Ming will handle the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duties, assisted by Kuwaiti Abdullah Al-Arabi, while Emirati Hamad Al-Mazrouei has been appointed as the referee assessor.
