(Left to right): Ali Al-Habsi and Julio Cesar Ribas. (Source: Internet)
According to our sources in the Uruguayan media, erstwhile coach of Oman football team, Julio Cesar Ribas, has gone around saying Al Al-Habsi didn’t want to train hard, as Ribas wanted him to. So was the star player responsible for Oman’s successive bad shows?
In an interview, which is posted on his blog, Julio said:
I want players who are humble, who play for the team, and who play to win. I don’t want players who think that football begins and ends with them.
Meanwhile, Al-Habsi’s statement to the press has proved that he and Ribas weren’t best of friends. Here is a sample:
Oman goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi has welcomed Ribas’s departure. “I am very happy. We weren’t sure if we could win under that manager. He didn’t have mutual confidence with the players,” Al Habsi was quoted as saying. “The team will now move in a good direction.”
Has Al Habsi grown too big for his boots?