Al-Diriyah midfielder and former Al-Hilal star Abdulelah Al-Malki has vented his fury at Georgios Donis, the Greek coach of the Saudi Arabia national team, over his omission from the Green Falcons.
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Saudi Arabia will host the Arabian Gulf Cup from 23 September of this year until 6 October, yet Donis has still not named his squad for the tournament.
Al-Malki appears to have got wind of the decision to leave him out, and it has stung. He was a regular fixture in the Saudi setup in recent years, particularly during his time at Al-Hilal, even if he wasn't always a starter.
Speaking in comments highlighted by the programme "Rotana Sport with Waleed", Al-Malki said: "So far I do not know the reason for my not being called up to the Saudi national team, so is the reason technical or personal?"
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He added: "If it is technical, then this is a strange matter, because the coach of the Saudi national team wanted to sign me when he was the coach of Al-Khaleej club, but I did not agree at the time."
The midfielder continued: "I have played around 75% of my team's matches so far, which is a good rate for a Saudi player given the high standards and the participation of foreign players."
He concluded: "I believe that the reason for my not being called up goes back to personal matters, and I do not know anything else, and I had been hoping to be with the Saudi national team at the Gulf Cup."
