Veteran Tunisian coach Nabil Maaloul harshly criticized the way the Tunisian national team prepared for the Arab Cup, considering that the preparations did not reach the required level to compete in a tournament of this size, in press statements that coincided with the attempts of the "Eagles of Carthage" to compensate for their stumble at the beginning of the journey.
In an analytical reading of the Arab football scene, Maaloul, who possesses extensive international experience culminating in leading the Tunisian national team at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, asserted that the technical and administrative choices should have been more pragmatic. In an interview with AFP, he explained that "it would have been more appropriate to call up a reserve team to participate in this edition of the Arab Cup, similar to the successful strategy implemented by major teams like Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco," where those teams relied on local players to rest their professionals and test new faces.
The impact of unexpected results and the scattering of papers
The current coach of Kuwait's Al-Qadsia club addressed the surprises of the early rounds, noting that Tunisia's opening loss to Syria, as well as the host nation Qatar's defeat to Palestine by a single goal, had completely "shuffled the cards in Group A," making it extremely difficult to predict who would qualify. In this context, Maaloul praised the fighting spirit and technical performance displayed by both the Syrian and Palestinian national teams, emphasizing that they had delivered commendable performances in their debut matches.
The timing crisis and the FIFA calendar
In a related matter, Maaloul raised the issue of the tournament's timing (December 1-18), describing it as "poor" due to its conflict with European clubs' commitments and the preparations of African national teams for the most important continental competition. He explained his point of view, saying: "FIFA did not take into account the preparations of North African teams for the Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off just a few days after the conclusion of the Arab Cup.".
He added that this timing put the national teams in a real predicament, as there is a great difficulty in relying on the key players, given that "more than 90 percent of the influential players in those national teams are linked to their European clubs in various leagues around the world," and it would have been better to coordinate the tournament during the international break (FIFA Days) to ensure the presence of all the stars.
Kuwaiti League and Professionals
Maaloul also touched on Kuwaiti football, commenting on the Kuwaiti national team's 1-1 draw with Egypt. He believed that "Al-Azraq" (the Blue) squandered a victory that was within reach due to a lack of focus in the final moments. Regarding the absence of professional players active in the Kuwaiti league from their national teams, such as Egyptian Amr Abdel-Fattah and Tunisian Yassine Khenissi, Maaloul was frank and surprising in his explanation, stating: "The Kuwaiti league is below average." He indicated that the weak competitiveness and low technical level of the league distracts national team coaches from selecting players based in it, regardless of their names.
