A Saudi Arabia team featuring the likes of Majed Abdullah, Fuad Anwar and Sami Al Jaber reached the Round of 16 in the country’s debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup in the United States in 1994, with Saeed Al Owairan’s mesmerising goal against Belgium still rated among the finest ever scored at the finals.
And with Hawsawi and his teammates set to make history by becoming the first Asian Football Confederation member association to feature in the tournament’s opening game when they take on Russia in Moscow on June 14, the Al Hilal centre-half is relishing the challenge that lies ahead.
“It will be a big honour for me to be the national team captain, especially at the World Cup,” said the 34-year-old. “We will be playing in a big competition and millions of people all around the world will be watching the opening match.
“It is an amazing feeling and I hope that we can fulfill the expectations of our fans and our football officials as well.”
Saudi Arabia’s last appearance at the FIFA World Cup came in 2006 and an exit at the conclusion of the group phase in Germany ended a run of four straight qualifications for the Gulf nation.
Failure to secure a place in the finals in 2010 and 2014 was a bitter pill for a country with such a strong record in qualifying to accept, but Hawsawi does not believe the expectations placed on him and his teammates by the country’s fans will weigh heavily on their shoulders.
“We will be playing in the World Cup without any pressure and we hope that we can have good performances,” he said. “We will be playing against good opponents and in football there is nothing that is impossible.”
Saudi Arabia have been drawn in Group A and begin their campaign against the hosts next week before taking on Uruguay in Rostov-on-Don on June 20 and closing out the group phase against Egypt in Volgograd five days later.
The team’s results in the build-up to the Finals have been disappointing, with a 3-0 loss at the hands of Peru earlier this week the latest defeat for Juan Antonio Pizzi’s team following losses against Belgium and Italy. They play Germany later on Friday.
But despite those set-backs, Hawsawi harbours hope that his team will peak just as the Finals commence.
“We have a chance to advance from the group as the team have prepared well,” he said. “We promise our fans that we will give all that we can and we will play with a lot of enthusiasm.”
Photos: AFP
