In every general assembly of the Saudi Federation, there are files that tolerate disagreement and files that do not tolerate silence. The Saudi national team is one of these files. That is why I was anticipating the extraordinary general assembly held on Wednesday, attended by representatives of most clubs, hoping to hear at least one question about the reasons for the national team's lackluster performance in the World Cup, and about the confusion that accompanied the preparation phase, as well as the technical and administrative work. But that did not happen. I followed what took place in the assembly and found no intervention or inquiry discussing this file, despite it being the biggest issue that should concern all members of the assembly. Each club was preoccupied with its own affairs, and the discussion about the national team that represents everyone was absent.

The general assembly should not be just a station for approving reports and voting on decisions, but rather a platform for holding the federation accountable on major issues. If the federation is not questioned about the national team after such a performance, when will accountability take place?

What is even more regrettable is that this absence passed quietly, without sparking a real media discussion. This raises the question: Has the national team become a file that only concerns the federation, while it is supposed to be the responsibility of the entire system? What I took away from this assembly was not what was said, but what was not said. Sometimes silence is more telling than any talk.

My message:

Teams do not regress because of a loss, but because of the absence of accountability. What we witnessed in the assembly was a missed opportunity to ask the questions that the sports community is waiting for.

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- Technical analyst