The Saudi Arabia national women's football team has arrived in Maldives for their debut match. The team is set to play against Seychelles on February 20 before facing off with Maldives on February 24. Monika Staab was appointed as the team's coach in August 2021, and by the following month, she began recruiting new players to be part of the women's team.
Before their departure to Maldives, Staab drafted the final list of players who will be playing this week. The final selection are as followings: Al-Bandari Mubarak, Al-Bandari Muhammad, Asrar Al-Shaibani, Atheer Khaled, Bayan Sadaqah, Dalia Abu Laban, Fahda Al-Saad, Farah Jafri, Hessa Al-Saadallah, Juri Tariq, Lama Al-Anazi, Lana Abdel-Razzaq, Layan Johari, Leen Muhammad, Maryam Al-Tamimi, Mashael Al-Harbi (defence), Mona AbdelRahman (goalkeeper), Noura Al-Ibrahim, Ohoud Al-Amari, Raghad Mukhaizin, Sarah Khaled, Sarah Hamad and Saba Tawfiq (mid-field), Tahani Al-Zahrani (attack), and Tala Al-Ghamdi.
"Since last September, we have started searching for players through whom we can start the national team's journey, and compete in its official and international competitions," she was quoted saying in an article on saff.com.sa. Staab went on to say that the matches are intended to give the women's team much needed experiences, explaining that the “goal is for the players to gain the experience necessary to play international matches, in addition to that we seek to officially join the FIFA classification.”
Simultaneously, the team is in the process of receiving certification from the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA).
Lamia Bin Bahian, Member of the Board of Directors and Director of the Women's Football Department, congratulated the women's team as they set to play against Seychelles and Maldives.
The Saudi women football team has arrived to the Maldives to participate in international games for the first time pic.twitter.com/PGf726DTDA
— Asaad Hanna (@AsaadHannaa) February 20, 2022
"I would like to congratulate all the players who have been selected. They have to be proud to be able to represent their country in its official match, and they have to work hard to maintain their presence in this list. And, I would also like to thank their colleagues, from the rest of the players, for the work they did during the last period during the camp. And, they have to continue working and trying to be with the team again, and the team’s door is always open to all players, as we are constantly evaluating the players," she said.
