Iraqi coach Khaled Najm Al-Din leads Saudi Goalball team to victory in international tournament

November 5 — The Iraqi coach, Khaled Najm Al-Din, led the Saudi Arabian national goalball team to impressive victories over the national teams of Egypt and Romania on the first day of the Egypt International Goalball Championship. As he prepares to face his homeland’s team, Iraq, on Sunday, he anticipates a challenging match due to his extensive history as both a player and coach for the Iraqi team spanning over 30 years.

Khaled Najm Al-Din, the Iraqi coach for Saudi Arabia, stated:

“I signed a coaching contract with the Saudi national team over a month ago, and I’ve been working on building a strong team capable of competing in international tournaments. This is my third professional coaching experience. I previously coached Oman eight years ago, where we secured the Gulf Cup runner-up position, and I also coached the Saudi national team about six years ago, winning the Gulf Championship.”

He continued, “I coached the Iraqi national team for nearly 30 years, winning various Arab, Asian, and international medals. Despite today’s victory over two strong teams in the Egypt Championship, my task with the Saudi team is challenging, and it will take time to establish and train them effectively, just as I did with Iraq.”

Looking ahead to the match against Iraq, he expressed, “Facing Iraq will be personally and skillfully challenging since I have coached the Iraqi national team for years, unlike my recent experience with Saudi Arabia. However, I will give my all in tomorrow’s match.”

Saudi Arabia triumphed over Romania with a score of 16-9 and Egypt’s second team with a score of 14-4. Coach Khaled Najm Al-Din aims to achieve the championship with the Saudi team.