INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Saudi Arabia has said Wednesday will be a national holiday as on the Jeddah Corniche by the Red Sea, in the heart of the capital Riyadh and
regional power has long sought a place in the spotlight.Outsiders against an Argentine team on a 36-match winning streak surely delivered
that and, on Tuesday afternoon and evening, it was all that mattered to Saudi leaders and the fans who circled public squares in convoys of
This means a lot to every Saudi
who was pictured embracing his brothers after the full-time whistle, as well as sports cafes and public parks across the
country.Universities were given the afternoon off for students to watch the game
City streets were almost abandoned
Moments like this materialise these changes and remind you of how proud we are of our youth.Saudis have long bristled at the notion that a
love of sports and a keenness to attract global events amounted to image laundering, with many sports fans insisting that they too wanted to
experience international competition and pitch their national teams into the mix.Ahead of the match, Prince Mohammed told the national team:
In a country battered by criticism over human rights and geopolitical positions, this was a nation-building moment, a chance to turn a
political tide.After full-time, regional rivals embraced the Saudi win
enmity in the lead-up to the World Cup, in which Prince Mohammed had boycotted Qatar and severed ties.That row is now firmly over and the
Saudi victory was being received around the region as an achievement the Arab world could swing in behind
In South America, though, the reaction was markedly different.There was shock and despair in Argentina as the final whistle went nearly
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://adaderana.lk
