Kuwait was the first Arab Asian nation to appear at the World Cup but its glory days have long gone. While Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE pump money into international sports, the former football powerhouse watches on, Ednews informs via freign media.
Kuwait appeared at the FIFA World Cup in 1982 — eight, 12 and 40 years respectively ahead of its Gulf neighbours United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar — and made quite an impression.
When France scored to make it 4-1 against the Asian champions, Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, FA chief and senior member of the royal family entered the pitch in Valladolid to remonstrate with the referee, arguing that his players had stopped after a whistle from the crowd. Incredibly, the match official disallowed the goal.
Those were golden days. "We were the best in Asia because the government, the FA, clubs and the media — the whole community — were after one goal and wanted high standards," Bader Marafi, a long-time fan and archivist of Kuwaiti football, told DW. "Everyone worked together."
