FOOTBALL BOHEMIAN REPORT

Football Bohemian Report,

The Chinese national football team, preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final qualifiers in Group C, is reportedly taking time to diligently study football rules.

According to Chinese media outlet *Beijing Youth Daily*, the Chinese team, currently holding a training camp in Dalian, has invited a FIFA international referee on August 30 to educate the players on the latest game rules, amendments, and refereeing standards.

Led by Croatian coach Branko Ivanković, China has set up a training camp at the Suoyuan Football Stadium in Dalian since August 25 to prepare for their away match against Japan on September 5 at 7:35 p.m. at Saitama Stadium, and their home match against Saudi Arabia on September 10. The team starts training late in the evening to match the kickoff times, with each session lasting about two hours with high-intensity programs.

Interestingly, Coach Ivanković has the team engaging in what he calls “theoretical study” during mornings or afternoons when there is no scheduled training. The players review video analyses of their opponents to identify and address areas for improvement. In addition to analyzing their opponents, the team is also studying "referee decisions and understanding."

This focus on refereeing was sparked by the incident involving Zhang Yuning, who was sent off while playing for Beijing Guoan in the 24th round of the 2024 Chinese Super League against Zhejiang FC. Notably, in the second qualifying round, China received an unusually high number of cards, with nine players being cautioned. Therefore, managing cards and playing smartly is essential for the upcoming final qualifiers. To address this, China plans to invite a FIFA international referee to the training camp on August 30 to lecture on the newly defined football rules and refereeing standards.

Meanwhile, China has shown particular sensitivity regarding refereeing ahead of the upcoming away match against Japan. The match will be officiated by Qatari referee Abdulrahman Al-Jassim. The Chinese team is wary of Al-Jassim, accusing him of frequently awarding penalties against them in previous encounters, which have led to defeats.

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FIFA and AFC have suddenly changed their stance and granted permission for Palestine to host their home match. As a result, there is a growing possibility that South Korea's away match against Palestine in November could take place in Palestine instead of a third country.

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) announced in an official statement on social media that FIFA and AFC have approved the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Third Round Group B Round 2 match between Palestine and Jordan, scheduled for September 10, to be held at the Faisal Al Husseini International Stadium in the West Bank, Palestine, instead of the originally planned venue in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Palestinian Football Association explained the situation by stating, "We received a sudden notification from FIFA and AFC that hosting a home match would be difficult due to concerns that the opposing team's journey might be challenging because of various reasons, including disputes with Israel. Therefore, the venue was changed to Kuala Lumpur, but we have continuously worked to host the home game in Palestine."

Palestine had initially sought to hold the match against Jordan at the Faisal Al Husseini International Stadium in cooperation with Jordan, but this plan was blocked due to opposition from FIFA and AFC. However, continuous diplomatic efforts by the Palestinian Football Association led to FIFA and AFC reversing their previous decision.

Nevertheless, the match against Jordan is still scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur on September 10 at 10 p.m. (Korea time). The Palestinian Football Association sought the understanding of its fans, stating, "There is limited time to prepare for a home match, and there are concerns that Israel may obstruct the entry of Jordanian players, as well as the entry of AFC and FIFA delegations. Therefore, we have decided to hold only this match against Jordan in Malaysia."

The association also expressed its intention to host the upcoming Group B Round 4 home match against Kuwait on October 15 at the Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium in Palestine. If the Palestine-Kuwait match is successfully held in October, there is a high likelihood that the home match against South Korea scheduled for November 19 will also be held at this venue. This demonstrates Palestine's strong determination to host home games.

The Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium is located in Al-Ram, West Bank, northeast of Jerusalem in Israel. It is a soccer-specific stadium with a seating capacity of 12,500, built with the support of FIFA. However, there are still doubts about whether the safety of the stadium can be fully guaranteed. In March 2023, there was an incident where Israeli forces stormed the stadium and fired tear gas, causing injuries to players and fans.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian national team, the first opponent in the final qualifiers and the debut opponent of South Korea under coach Hong Myung-Bo, is currently conducting training in Kuala Lumpur. South Korea is set to play its first home match of the final Group B qualifiers against Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium on September 5 at 8 p.m(in Korean Time).

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The Saudi Arabian national team roster has been announced for the upcoming two matches in the final round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers, where they will face Shin Tae-yong's Indonesia and Branko Ivanković's China.

Led by Italian manager Roberto Mancini, Saudi Arabia will play a home match against Indonesia on September 6th at 3 a.m. (Korean time) at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. Following that, they will travel to face China on September 10th at 9 p.m. at Dalian Suoyuan Football Stadium. Saudi Arabia is in Group C of this final qualifying round, competing against Japan, Australia, Bahrain, China, and Indonesia.

Saudi Arabia has selected a total of 31 players for the national team roster. Notable selections include right-back Saud Abdulhamid, who recently transferred to Italian club AS Roma, drawing significant attention, and Salem Al-Dawsari, who scored a stunning goal against Argentina during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Also included is defender Ali Al-Bulayhi, known for his tough playing style, especially against key opponents like Son Heung-min.

Here is the new squad for the Saudi Arabian national team:

GK : Mohammed Al-Owais, Mohammed Al-Yami (both Al Hilal), Ahmed Al-Kassar (Al Qadisiyah), Raed Najjar (Al Nassr)

DF : Saud Abdulhamid (AS Roma/Italy), Ali Al-Bulayhi, Hassan Al-Tambakti (both Al Hilal), Sultan Al-Ghanam, Ali Lajami (both Al Nassr), Mashaal Al-Sebiani, Awad Al-Saluli (both Al Taawoun), Hassan Kadesh (Al Ittihad), Hussain Al-Sebiani, Muteb Al-Harbi (both Al Shabab)

MF : Abbas Al-Hassan (NEOM), Abdulrahman Al-Malki (Al Ettifaq), Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Abdulrahman Ghareeb (both Al Nassr), Faisal Al-Ghamdi, Marwan Al-Sahafi (both Al Ittihad), Mohammed Kanno, Musab Al-Juwair, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Salem Al-Dawsari (all Al Hilal), Mukhtar Ali (Al Fateh)

FW : Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Abdullah Radif (both Al Hilal), Fahad Al-Muwallad (Al Shabab), Firas Al-Buraikan (Al Ahli), Mohammed Maran (Al Nassr), Saleh Al-Shehri (Al Ittihad)

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The Oman national football team, one of South Korea's opponents in the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September, has announced its squad.

On August 28th, in the early morning hours (Korean time), Jaroslav Šilhavý, head coach of the Oman national football team, announced the squad through the Oman Football Association (OFA) for the upcoming away match against Iraq, scheduled for 1:00 a.m. on September 6th at Basra National Stadium, and the home match against South Korea, to be held at Sultan Qaboos Stadium in Muscat at 11:00 p.m. on September 10th.

The squad consists of 25 players who were tested by Coach Šilhavý during the three-week training camp in Spain last July. However, the third goalkeeper, Ahmed Al-Rawahi, was excluded from the squad due to an ACL tear.

While some players like Faiz Al-Rushaidi and Jamil Al-Yahmadi play in nearby Middle Eastern leagues, most are domestic players. The majority are affiliated with strong clubs in the Oman League, such as Al-Shabab and Al-Nahda, which should provide a solid organizational foundation.

Oman began training with 23 players at Sultan Qaboos Stadium in Muscat on the 28th. Veteran striker Mohsen Al-Ghassani and experienced midfielder Salah Al-Yahyaei are set to join the team later.

The team plans to hold six training sessions in Muscat before departing on a charter flight from Oman Air to Basra on September 3rd for the away match against Iraq. They will then return to their home base in Muscat to prepare for the match against South Korea.

Below is the Oman national team roster preparing for the match against South Korea:

GK : Ibrahim Al-Mukhaini (Al-Nahda), Faiz Al-Rushaidi (Manama/Bahrain), Ibrahim Al-Razhi (Al-Wahda)

MF : Ahmed Al-Khamisi, Amjad Al-Harthi, Ali Al-Busaidi, Mohammed Al-Musalami (all Al-Shabab), Khalid Al-Braiki (Al-Shabab), Ghanim Al-Habashi, Ahmed Al-Kaabi, Abdulaziz Al-Shamoushi (all Al-Nahda)

MF : Salaah Al-Yahyaei, Arshad Al-Alawi, Zahir Al-Aghbari (all Al-Shabab), Harib Al-Saadi, Omar Al-Malki, Abdullah Fawaz, Nasser Al-Rawahi (all Al-Nahda), Jameel Al-Yahmadi (Al-Kharaitiyat/Qatar), Sultan Al-Marzouq (Dhofar Club)

FW : Issam Al-Sabhi, Mohammed Bin Hamid Al-Ghafri (both Al-Nahda), Abdulrahman Al-Mushaifri, Muhsen Al-Ghassani (Al-Shabab), Mohammed Al-Ghafri (Oman Club)

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Urawa Reds, a club in Japan's J1 League, announced on the 27th August that they have terminated the contract with head coach Per-Mathias Høgmo, who took over at the beginning of this season.

The successor will be Maciej Skorża, the former head coach who led the team last season. Urawa has already finalized the contract with Coach Skorża, and until he officially joins the team, Nobuyasu Ikeda will serve as interim coach.

Hailing from Norway, Coach Høgmo has primarily worked in his home country throughout his coaching career. He has a notable record, including leading the women's national team to a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

After taking charge of Urawa for the 2024 season, he implemented an attacking style of football. However, the team’s defensive frailties have been exposed, leading to a significant increase in conceded goals. Urawa has not secured a win since July and is currently in 13th place in the J1 League. Additionally, they were eliminated early in the third round of the YBC Levain Cup (League Cup).

Coach Skorża, who joined the team last season, achieved remarkable success, winning the AFC Champions League (ACL) title. He also led the team to a fourth-place finish in the league and a runner-up position in the Levain Cup. Despite these accomplishments, he left the team after just one year due to family reasons.

In a statement on the club's official website, Urawa Reds director Satoshi Horinouchi explained, "It is true that there was a strong conflict regarding the decision to change coaches in such a short period. It is also evident that the team's completeness has declined compared to the beginning of the season. We have re-emphasized the importance of maintaining the direction of growth and accelerating the pace of development. As a means to achieve this, we decided to change the head coach."

Meanwhile, Urawa Reds will face Machida Zelvia in the 29th round of the J1 League on August 31.

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The Korea Football Association (KFA) has formed a new National Team Technical Committee and released the list of its members. On the 27th, the KFA announced on its official website that Choi Young-il, Vice President of the Korea Football Association, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Technical Committee.

Additionally, the following individuals have been appointed as committee members to assist Chairman Choi: Han Jun-hee, KFA Vice President and commentator; Jung Jae-kwon, Head Coach of Hanyang University Football Team; Yoo Jong-hee, Executive Director of the Jeonbuk Football Association; Park Chul, K-League match supervisor; Baek Jong-seok, scout for FC Seoul; and Hwang In-sun, former head coach of the Women's U-20 National Team.

The newly appointed Chairman of the Technical Committee, Choi Young-il, was a member of the national team during the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States and the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. As a coach, he managed the Dong-A University football team and served as the head of the Korean National Football Team during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. During his playing days, he was renowned as a defender for his dedicated marking of Japan's star player Kazuyoshi Miura.

This newly formed Technical Committee aims to support the Korean National Football Team under the recently established leadership of Coach Hong Myung-bo and will commence the selection process for the vacant positions of head coaches for the Women's National Football Team and the Men's U-23 National Football Team.

The KFA also stated that the term of the National Team Technical Committee's activities is until January next year, coinciding with the end of the current administration of Chairman Chung Mong-gyu. Should Chairman Chung fail to secure a fourth term, this Technical Committee will be dissolved. Therefore, with only four to five months remaining until the end of September, this committee will function for a relatively short period.

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The Palestinian national football team, which will face South Korea in the first match of Group B of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, is diligently preparing for its away match against South Korea. Despite the turbulent political situation in the Middle East, the team has completed its training camp in Jordan for players based in the domestic league.

South Korea will face Palestine in the first match of Group B of the final qualifiers, scheduled for 8 p.m. on September 5 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) announced on its official website, "On August 25, we concluded our training camp in Amman, Jordan, for domestic players. The team will now move to Malaysia to officially begin their training camp ahead of the away match against South Korea on September 5."

Makram Daboub, the Tunisian coach of the Palestinian national football team, expressed his satisfaction with the results of the training camp. He also expects the training in Malaysia to be more productive with the addition of overseas players. Coach Daboub shared his thoughts on the training camp as follows:

"This camp was a special camp for domestic players to prepare for the final qualifiers. We chose Malaysia as the second camp location because the time difference with South Korea is only one hour, making it easier to adjust to the time zone. Additionally, the distance between the two countries is relatively short, and we also have to play against Jordan in Kuala Lumpur on September 10." - Makram Daboub, Head Coach of the Palestinian National Football Team.

Indeed, there are valid reasons for Palestine's choice of Malaysia. As Coach Daboub mentioned, the one-hour time difference between South Korea and Malaysia makes it easier to adjust to the body's circadian rhythm. Furthermore, Palestine has been required to play its home matches in Malaysia for a while now.

There is a high probability that Palestine's home match against South Korea, scheduled for November 19, will also be held in Kuala Lumpur. As such, choosing Kuala Lumpur as a base is a strategic move to adapt to what effectively serves as their home ground. However, it should be noted that the travel distance between Kuala Lumpur and Seoul is not as close as Coach Daboub might think, as a direct flight takes about seven hours.

Palestine reached the Round of 16 in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. While the team's name value may not be as high as some other Middle Eastern teams, its growth has been evident. South Korea will need to consider Palestine a "dark horse" and approach the match with caution.

There are also some threatening players on the Palestinian side. One of the players that Palestine is highly counting on is Wesam Abu Ali, who became the top scorer in the 2023-2024 Egyptian Premier League with 18 goals. Playing for the prestigious Egyptian club Al Ahly, Abu Ali has claimed the title of the first Palestinian to win the Egyptian league's top scorer, providing comfort to Palestinian fans suffering from the pains of war.

Originally an immigrant player from Aalborg, Denmark, Abu Ali was first selected for the Palestinian national team last June and made his debut in a match against Lebanon. Given his current form, he is likely to be named in the squad for the match against South Korea. Other names to watch include Oday Dabbagh (Charleroi, Belgium), Ata Jaber (Neftchi Baku, Azerbaijan), and Yaser Hamed (Zamalek, Egypt).

Coach Daboub is expected to finalize the squad for the South Korea match during the team's journey to Malaysia. We will bring you more updates once the final roster is announced.

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South Korea's national football team coach, Hong Myung-bo, has announced the squad for the upcoming Group B matches in the asian final qualifying rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled for September. This roster is particularly significant as it is the first one released since Hong took over as head coach. It features a notable inclusion of emerging talents who have been showcasing impressive performances in the K-League.

Among the new faces are Yang Min-hyeok, who recently confirmed his move to Tottenham Hotspur, Hwang Moon-ki, a right-back from Gangwon FC, Choi Woo-jin, a left-back from Incheon United, and Lee Han-beom, a center-back who has been developing well at FC Midtjylland. Overall, this selection maintains key players from the existing national team while integrating new talent that Hong and his staff have scouted and assessed as having potential, a move that could be seen as a positive step forward.

One area of particular interest highlighted by Football Bohemian is the left-back position. Kim Jin-su, who has recently been going through a challenging period for various reasons, has not been called up this time. This leaves the left-back position open to competition between Lee Myung-jae, a "veteran rookie" with only one national team appearance, and Choi Woo-jin, who is making his debut for the national team. Who will earn Coach Hong's favor?

The Hong Myung-bo-led team will kick off their final qualifying campaign in Group B with a match against Palestine on September 5 at 8:00 PM at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The second match will be an away fixture against Oman at Sultan Qaboos Stadium in Muscat, starting at 1:00 AM (Korean time) on September 11. The team is set to convene on September 2 for their first official training session at Goyang Sports Complex.

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