A striking comment

Waleed Al-Faraj has stirred up a debate with one sarcastic jab at the Saudi national team's medical bulletin on their injured players. The statement dropped late at night, and the Saudi media figure wanted to know who exactly it was meant for, a question that quickly turned into a wider row over when official announcements should land.

The Saudi national team's account had posted a medical statement detailing the progress of several players, among them Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Alaa Al-Hajji and Hammam Al-Hammami, setting out the treatment and rehabilitation programmes each is undergoing. It formed part of the continuous monitoring of their conditions after the injuries they picked up during Arabian Gulf Cup 27.

Al-Faraj reposted the tweet on his "X" account with a line dripping in sarcasm about the timing. The statement had gone out at one o'clock in the morning on the dot.

"A medical statement issued at 1am," he wrote. "Who are you informing at this time?"

His gripe was with the hour, not the medicine. Who reads a bulletin published that late, he asked, when the same updates could have gone out at a time that reached far more followers.

According to the statement, Nawaf Al-Aqidi underwent a successful operation on his elbow in the British capital London after getting injured against Kuwait in the opening game of Gulf 27. Alaa Al-Hajji, meanwhile, continues his rehabilitation programme at Aspetar hospital in Doha following his knee injury against Oman.

Hammam Al-Hammami starts his treatment programme on Sunday, the national team added, after a hamstring injury in the final match of the Gulf tournament. The players' medical conditions are being monitored in coordination between the national team's medical staff and the medical staffs at the clubs.