Arab Soccer

By Alejandro Guevara Onofre
for SoccerMyLife.com

Published: August 19, 2011

Egypt

Did you know- For the first time, Egypt participated at the 1920 Summer Games. At the VII Olympic Games in Antwerp (Belgium), the African nation routed Yugoslavia 4-2. Between May 31 and June 10, 1934,the continent of Africa made its international debut when Egypt competed at the Second World Cup in Rome (Italy), ahead of Belgium and the United States of America. During that universal event, the Arab nation ranked fourteenth. By 1957 it claimed the first-ever Men’s African Tournament title over Ethiopia. By the early 1980s, it boycotted the Moscow Summer Games to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. For this reason, the national team did not participate in the Olympic Games in the USSR (now Russia). After that, it came in eighth in the FIFA Under-20 World Championship in Australia in 1981.

Kuwait

Did you know- At the XII World Championship in Spain in mid-1982,Kuwait tied with Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) 1-1. Kuwait was represented for the first time at a World Cup.

Iran

Did you know- By 1976, Iran became Asian champions for the third time in a row. By virtue of its triumph in the World Cup Elimination Round for Asia, Iran qualified to represent Asia in the XI World Cup in Argentina (South America) in 1978. However, the national team could not advance to the second round. In that event, Iran tied with Scotland 1-1. To qualify for Argentina’78, Iran had defeated Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Morocco

Did you know- By the early 1970s, the Kingdom of Morocco participate in the global event in the United Mexican States, but did not win any match. Morocco was one of the six non-Europeans squads to participate in the universal competition.

Qatar

Did you know- The team of Qatar was runner-up at the Under-20 World Tournament in October 1981. In the final match, they lost 4-0 to West Germany. They were the first and only Arab team to qualify for the finals in the Under-20 World Championships. Qatar came second in the Asian Championship in Bangkok, Thailand in March 1981, and won the right to compete in Australia, together with South Korea (winner).

Saudi Arabia

Did you know- The Arab soccer made the international headlines when Saudi Arabia won the Under-17 World Championship in Scotland in the late 1980s, giving Arab football its first global tournament of any kind. Five years on, using a nucleus of footballers from Scotland’89, the Arabian team won the right to participate in the 15th World Tournament in California, USA. Certainly Arabia -an oil-rich country– had been the surprise of the international event. The national squad is one of Asia’s most successful team, having won the Asian Cup three times.

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Freelance writer. Alejandro is author of a host of articles/essays about over 220 countries and dependencies (and American States as well), from ecology, history, tourism and national heroes to Olympic sports, foreign relations, and wildlife. In addition, he has published some books on women’s rights, among them “History of the Women in America” and “Famous Americans.”

Author: Alejandro Guevara Onofre
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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