Saudi Arabia will face Ukraine today in their second match in the World Cup. It is expected to be a tough match, as both teams will try their best to win in order to improve their chances to qualify to the next stage. Saudis, although feeling they were robbed the win when Tunisia equalized them in injury time, are ready for the match and are enjoying a good spirit. Ukraine, in the other hand, are trying to get over their shocking 4-0 defeat at the hands of Spain. I don’t feel like talking much about the game, so I will leave you with some links: the German Spiegel has a preview of the match. The story quotes Paqueta, head coach of Saudi Arabia, saying “Ukraine is a weak team,” which the Brazilian completely denied. “I did not say that! I did not say that! That’s not true…It’s crazy. It’s wrong,” he told FIFAWorldCup.com. Actually, he is expecting to face an aggressive Ukraine side. Paqueta also praised Andriy Shevchenko, and said he will make sure that the ball never reaches him.

Upon arrival to Hamburg, Paqueta has complained about the cold weather. Lucky for him, the weather will be warmer today with temperatures between 23-29°C and sunny intervals. I hope the loss of Mohammed Al Shlhoub, who flew last night to Riyadh after his mother passed away, will not affect on the team morale which was at its best in the past few days. “We told him before he left that we will be trying extra hard for him,” Sami Al Jaber, the captain, said about his team-mate. Al Jaber also said they are ready for the challenge, and admitted that the Ukrainians are physically stronger. “We will undoubtedly have to raise our game in that department. We have to compete physically, we just have to, there is no other way,” he added.

CSM has a story on Saudi female bloggers, focusing on the blockage of Saudi Eve blog. The story has quotes by Farah and Jo. On a not-really-related note: this is the second time I am interviewed by CSM but my interview does not make it to the published story. Hard luck ;-)

Sad News: the mother of Mohammad Al Shlhoub died last night, and the player flew this afternoon to Riyadh. My condolences to Al Shlhoub and his family, and may her soul rest in peace.

Prior to our first match in the World Cup, Abdullah Al Dabal, a senior SAFF official, said Saudi players chosen as FIFA’s man of the match during their World Cup games will refuse the award because it is sponsored by a famous beer manufacturer. “Saudi players will not accept an award linked to the maker of an alcoholic beverage,” he said, because “Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam.” Therefore, none of our players would be chosen for the award no matter how good he plays. Frustrating, I have to say, and I’m afraid this was not necessary at all.

The award is given by FIFA, not the beer company, and the player is chosen by a group of world’s best coaches, not some drunk dudes. In the history of the game, player chosen for the award will be called Man of the Match, and not Budweiser Man of the Match because the sponsor will be replaced someday, but the award will stay in the records of the tournament forever. It is not like the winner player will do any promotional work for the beer company; meanwhile I think the company is very happy because such action by the Saudis has given them more publicity than they actually hoped for when they sponsored this award.

I feel sorry for our players, even though Mr. Al Dabal said “they understood.” It is said that Khalid Aziz, defensive midfielder of our team, was chosen for the award in the first match, but it was then given to the Tunisian striker Ziad Jaziri. It is a pity the great performances of our players in the most important football tournament in the world will not be recognized.

If you thought that a stop-watch and whistle are about as technological as football got, then think again. This story from the BBC website about the Australian team, which will face Brazil today at the World Cup, gives you a glimpse on how football teams in recent years have employed new technologies to aid them and give them the edge.

Here in Saudi Arabia, we commonly call pick-up trucks “waneet.” I wonder if any of my Saudi readers have ever tried to know where does that word come from. Turki Al Dakheel (Arabic) says this word, like many words that we use in our everyday life, especially in the Eastern Province, has something to do with Saudi Aramco. Back in the days, when Aramco was still in its infancy, they had several missions for oil prospection and exploration. As these mission were located in remote areas where basic supplies are not available, pick-up trucks had to visit them periodically to provide them with life necessities. These truck used to carry serial numbers which started with (18). Employees started to call these trucks which supplied them with food and water “one-eight,” which over time has become “waneet.” Aramco were the first to bring such trucks to the country, and therefore people eventually called every pick-up truck that has come later “waneet,” inside and outside Aramco.

The effect of the oil company on life in the Eastern Province was not limited to language. The presence of Aramco has also affected people’s lives in the region on many different levels. It is very rare that you would find anyone here who does not have a relationship – direct or indirect – with the company or someone who worked for them. My grandfather has worked as a driver for Aramco, but shortly left the company to go back to his original job as a carpenter. His eldest son, my uncle, used also to work for Aramco, and has recently retired. Saudi Aramco manifests the prefect example for a corporation that is wholly owned by the government. As one of the largest oil companies in the world, they are not only financially successful, but they also show a great commitment to the local community and environment. Some people say Aramco has changed very much since its management moved from the Americans to Saudis, and by this they mean it has been plagued by corruption and racism. However, if you ask any young man here about the job of his dream there is a big chance he would say “Aramco.”

Shams, the new Saudi tabloid which was banned for a period of time during the Danish cartoons controversy, has published one of my AFP photos but in a different context for another story. They have used a different caption than the one distributed by the agency. The caption here reads, “Ahmed Al-Omran, a young Saudi browses websites on his laptop.” What a lame line is this?