KUWAIT CITY, July 16: Al-Arabi Club has entered negotiations with Tunisian international striker Haitham Al-Jouini, currently playing for Tunisian Stadium Club, to bolster its squad for the upcoming season. Al-Jouini, born in 1993, has previously played for Tunisian club Esperance, Al-Ahly Club (Benghazi), and had a brief stint in the Spanish second division. He also played professionally for Saudi Arabia's Al-Ain Club.

In other news, Al-Arabi defeated Al-Shabab 4-1 in its first friendly match in preparation for the new season. The new Algerian recruit, Ahmed Khalidi, scored his first goal for the team, with Nayef Hamid, Salman Al-Awadi, and Nigerian Anabu Iwala also finding the net for "Al-Akhdar."

The team is set to conclude its training this evening before departing for a training camp in Bosnia, which will include four friendly matches. Al-Arabi coach Nasser Al-Shatti expressed his confidence in the young players, emphasizing the importance of their contribution as the team competes in five tournaments this season.

Al-Arabi will participate in the Asian Challenge Cup as the Premier League runner-up, alongside local competitions including the Zain Premier League, Amir Cup, Crown Prince Cup, and the Super Cup. Al-Shatti highlighted that the friendly against Al-Shabab marked the team's first match two weeks into its preparation period. He also pointed out that the Bosnian camp will be crucial for the player's physical and technical preparation to endure the season's match pressure.

Al-Shatti stressed the importance of support from Al-Arabi fans, noting that it significantly motivates the team to achieve positive results.

In the Kuwait Club camp, the players celebrated Argentina's victory in Copa America, joining their new player, Argentine professional Sergio Vitor, in the celebrations after their training session. Kuwait Club continues its daily training at its external camp in Turkey, which started at the beginning of July and will run until the 29th of the month, in preparation for the new season. The team will participate in the AFC Champions League qualifying playoff, facing Al-Ahly of Bahrain on August 14 in Manama. The winner will qualify directly for the group stage. The defense of its league title will begin against Al-Qadisiya on August 8.

In other news, Kazma's U-23 team player Abdullah Al-Jasser underwent surgery for a cruciate ligament injury at Al-Razi Hospital. Team manager Ayman Al-Asak visited Al-Jasser to check on him and thanked Dr. Abdulaziz Abbas, who performed the surgery. Al-Asak wished Al-Jasser a swift recovery and return to the team.

Hassan Musa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff