RIYADH — Italian manager Roberto Mancini, the newly appointed head coach of the Saudi national football team, has unveiled the initial squad of the "Green Team" under his leadership. The squad includes 26 players who will participate in the training camp held in Newcastle, England, during the upcoming international FIFA window. Mancini officially took over the reins last Monday, following the announcement by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) of their agreement with the former Italian national team coach to succeed Frenchman Hervé Renard. Renard parted ways with the Saudi national team after a tenure lasting over three years. The Italian tactician's squad list showed minor adjustments from the previous one, with goalkeeper Raghid Al-Najjar being added. Furthermore, Yasser Al-Shahrani makes a return to the squad after a lengthy absence due to an injury sustained during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Additionally, Fahad Al-Muwallad has been reinstated following the expiration of his suspension for doping violations. Newcomers Ahmed Bamasoud and Ali Hazazi have also joined the squad. Notable absent from the current Saudi squad are several players who featured in the last squad in March. The exclusions include Motab Al-Harbi, Zakaria Hawsawi, Hussein Al-Qahtani, Haroun Kamara, Saleh Al-Shehri, Haitham Asiri, and Abdulrahman Al-Obeid. The squad features four goalkeepers: Mohammed Al-Owais, Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Mohammed Al-Yami, and Raghid Al-Najjar. In defense, the team includes Yasser Al-Shahrani, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Hassan Tambakti, Ahmed Sharahili, Ali Al-Bulayhi, Sultan Al-Ghanam, Saud Abdulhamid, and Ahmed Bamasoud. In midfield, the roster boasts Riyadh Shrahili, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Ali Hazazi, Mohammed Kano, Salem Al-Dawsari, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Sami Al-Najei, Sumayhan Al-Nabit, Abdulaziz Al-Bishi, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, and Fahad Al-Rashidi. Up front, the team is led by Fahad Al-Muwallad, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, and Firas Al-Brikan. The Saudi national team's camp is set to commence this Sunday with a journey to Newcastle, England, as part of the second phase of their preparatory program for the 2023 Asian Cup, scheduled to take place in Qatar in January next year. During their camp from Sept. 3 to 12, the Green Team will play two friendly matches. The first, against the Costa Rican national team on Sept. 8, and the second, against the Korean national team on Sept. 12. Both friendly matches will be held at St. James' Park, the home ground of English club Newcastle United. It's worth noting that the Saudi national team finds itself in Group Six for the 2023 Asian Cup, alongside Oman, Kyrgyzstan, and Thailand.
