SQSC ready to stage qualifier against South Korea

Muscat, SEPT 9

The Oman national team’s match against South Korea will be Oman’s 40th and the eighth qualifier at home. The first match was against Iraq in the 1990 World Cup qualifiers.

The Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher, opened in 1985 with an area of 800,000 square metres, is one of the largest sports complexes in Oman, with a capacity of 28,000 spectators. It won the Unesco medal in 1995.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth is keen to provide many services and facilities for the fans at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex to support the national football team. Regarding the fans’ entry, four main gates will be opened: gates No 1, 2, 4, and 5; Block C1 will be allocated for families. Gate 5 and Block No 27 will be designated for South Korean fans.

Saud bin Badr Ambusaidi, Assistant Director-General of the General-Directorate of Sports Activities at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, spoke about the most prominent preparations: “Each gate has approximately 10 to 15 entrances, with coordination with the Royal Oman Police to facilitate movement. In addition, 28 other sub-gates will be open to avoid any congestion.”

“The ministry is seeking to provide free drinking water through cooperation with distribution companies inside the complex, distributing shirts to the public with promotional tools, as well as the presence of more than 20 mobile food carts, in addition to some simple activities that will be held in the inner courtyard of the complex,” he said.

The gates will open to the public at 3:00 pm to ensure comfortable and smooth movement.

The Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex will accommodate more than 1,000 cars, parking next to the beach playgrounds to ensure flexibility of exit after the match. The Royal Oman Police will be present inside and outside the complex to control movement.

Ali bin Hamad al Maawali, Director in Muscat Governorate, indicated that “The Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher is fully prepared in all administrative, coordination, and technical aspects. Tickets have been offered for the VIP platform, and their entrances will be A and B from Gate No 11. A special area has been allocated for media, which will be on the left of the main cabin, as well as special places will be provided for prayer.”

Fayez al Rushaidi, national team goalkeeper, opined that “Our team’s match with South Korea will be difficult on our land and among our fans, and we hope the fans will stand by us during this important match. The players need the fans’ support to compensate for the failure of the last match’s result, indicating that the Iraq match saw us obtaining a number of opportunities, but we did not succeed in translating them into goals.”