Note to Trialists: Don’t Cry During Training

By: Martha | January 8th, 2008

It was reported last week that, after a successful trial with Manchester City, Saudi Arabia captain Yasser Al Qahtani turned down a contract offer with the club because his current team Al Hilal “need [him] too much this season.” Al Qahtani assured the press that the issue was definitely not a financial one, and that he “was given great praise from everyone there including coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.” Got that? Everyone loved him. And he definitely did not burst in tears in the middle of training.

Yeah, it turns out that things during the trial might not have gone quite the way Al Qahtani described them. In fact, according to former City keeper John Burridge, who now works in TV in the Middle East, it was more humiliating than anything else. Said Burridge, “Al Qahtani flew into Manchester with a huge entourage. He arrived at the City training ground like a prince and when he took part in his first training session, the members of his entourage lined the length of the touchline cheering his every move.” Oh, yeah. That’s a great start for a trial: Bring a cheering section.

Shortly after the cheering started, City defender Richard Dunne hit Al Qahtani with a nice, solid tackle. Just, you know, to welcome him to the family. There’s no word on how the entourage reacted to the tackle but, if we believe Burridge, we know how the Asian Player of the Year reacted: He cried. Oh, dear.

I’m guessing “on-pitch tears” are right up there with “huge entourage” and “a fifth of bourbon” on the list of automatic deal-breakers for pretty much any professional football team.*

*Unless you’re Antonio Cassano. Obviously.

[via Lem and Setanta]