A few days ago, Al-Hilal's Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly opened a sensitive file on his teammate Hassan Tambakti. Koulibaly spoke of the Saudi defender's need to work and train harder, pointing out that having ability does not stop a player suffering injuries. Now Tambakti's name is back in the spotlight, and this time it is because of an injury he sustained with the Saudi national team.
Tambakti appeared to pick up a knock during the recent match against Oman in the Arabian Gulf Cup, "Gulf 27", before he reassured supporters about his condition and described the injury as minor. Even so, the recurrence of physical problems brings Koulibaly's words rushing back and opens the door to questions about how ready Tambakti really is to play consecutive matches.
Koulibaly said it: and Tambakti is injured again
Koulibaly was not describing Tambakti as a player short on ability. On the contrary, he praised his qualities while linking the injuries to a need for more work and training. Days after those comments, Tambakti suffered a new physical problem during the match against Oman.
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Reports after the match said Tambakti reassured supporters about his injury and described it as minor. The technical staff confirmed that injuries affected the closing stages against Oman, which Saudi Arabia settled with a clean sweep of three goals.
Saudi Arabia's safety valve in trouble
The danger of Tambakti's injury lies in its timing. Saudi Arabia have already entered a decisive stage of the tournament after securing qualification to the semi-final, and at the same time Hassan Kadesh has been ruled out of the rest of Gulf 27 with a thigh injury that requires a treatment and rehabilitation programme.
Any new absence in the back line could leave Georgios Donis with fewer options. Tambakti is one of the key men at the heart of the defence, and losing him could force the Greek coach to rethink his calculations ahead of the match against Iraq and then the semi-final.
Will the matter turn into a crisis?
The problem is not one injury alone. It is a record of physical problems Tambakti has picked up across different periods, and that record makes his fitness a constant concern, particularly when he is asked to play closely spaced matches in a short tournament.
Right now there are no official signs that Tambakti will miss the next match, and the player himself reassured supporters after the Oman game. But his condition still needs close medical monitoring, especially with Saudi Arabia keen to keep as many of their players available as possible for the decisive rounds.