TEARS OF JOY

No sooner had skipper Mohammed Rabe’ea scored the fifth goal of the shoot-out than the whole of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex (SQSC) in Bausher erupted as one in celebration at winning the much-awaited regional title on the football field. Fans throughout the country, who had come from far off places like Salalah, Sohar, Nizwa and Ibri, and others who had been hooked onto their television screens watching the tension-filled match, poured out onto the streets expressing their joy at the victory which few would have predicted a fortnight ago. Emotions ran high and passion touched a crescendo with the ‘Long live Oman’ song on every lip as Oman team members, led by their gutsy goalkeeper, Ali Al Habsi, draped themselves in the tri-colour and did the victory lap at SQSC. When Mohammed Rabe’ea lifted the cup, having received it from His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, the minister of heritage and culture, the 39,000 fans at the SQSC were in tears... Speaking to Times Sports, a proud Oman Football Association (OFA) Chairman, Khalid bin Hamood Al Busaidi said winning the Gulf Cup was not the end of a dream but the beginning of one. “Winning the trophy after a long wait was marvellous, but it should motivate us to win more titles and improve our game. More so, after the keen interest that His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has shown towards us and the kind of unlimited support our team have been receiving from the people. As the chief of OFA, I take this opportunity to congratulate each one of the players in the team for this win,” Khalid said. “This victory means so much to us. We have shown the world that we are the champions. I have been literally waiting for this day to come … I never knew it would take this long but it had to happen at some stage … and it did perfectly at home. As we all know it’s the third time we are entering the finals. It would have been all the more hurting had we lost at home. All the players contributed to this victory and it will remain in our hearts for a very long time,” said Khalid Ahmed Al Lahori, an OFA official, who was almost in tears and struggled for words. Abdul Raheem Saleem, a former national player and coach of U-17 team said the win would strengthen other sports in Oman too. “What a perfect ending. I do not have words to describe this victory. It’s all because of our team’s hard work. They have been working hard under Le Roy. He has shaped this team perfectly. This win will strengthen the other sports too in the Sultanate,” Abdul Raheem said. “I believe winning the trophy will help the players, especially the younger ones, gain more experience and build their self-confidence. I do believe that this victory will lead to improving the standard of local football competitions and draw more spectators to the stadium to watch and cheer their teams,” Raheem added. For Maimoona Al Lawati, a resident of Sohar, this Saturday night would be a special one. “My engagement was on Friday. I had put off celebrations and was waiting to see this match. Tonight I will not be sleeping. We will be celebrating throughout the night,” Maimoona said. K. B. Mohan, AGM at Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Oman SAOC, said the Oman national team would re-write the history of world soccer soon. “I badly wanted to see the match in the stadium but could not manage it. I watched it on TV and by seeing the performance of the team I feel they would soon re-write the history of world soccer. This victory will certainly help Oman to qualify for the Asian Cup,” Mohan said. Parvathy Vijayakumar, who is on a visit to Oman, said she was excited at the country’s maiden title victory. “I am lucky to be here at this point of time. I could be part of a nation in celebration. To be frank, I do not know anything about soccer, but watching Oman’s victory over Saudi Arabia, gave me a fair idea about the whole game. Habsi and Hassan Rabe’ea really played well in this tournament. I wish Oman team all success for the upcoming matches,” said Parvathy who is doing her Masters in Hospitality Management in England. As Oman’s favourite coach, Claude Le Roy, predicted, the match clearly ended in Hollywood style … His players, who according to him, are movie stars, played their roles on the big screen before a huge audience and clinched their first title. “A coach is like a movie director. Our job is to find and to choose the best actors, to give them a scenario, and in this scenario they have to show the art of improvisation,” the Frenchman told journalists ahead of the match yesterday. In the coming days this movie (the victory) would be a big success at the box office (at the hearts of Omani fans) and would break all records in the Middle East… Firecrackers lit up the night sky, while the car-honking Omani fans, as well as expatriates, brought out all those cooped up in their houses to witness the celebrations. It was a night to remember, and would remain so for long. The fans celebrated until the wee hours of the morning. --- Source: Times of oman