Kuwait soccer team could get red card over cashflow

Football officials in Kuwait have warned that the Gulf state may have to suspend its national soccer team in light of cashflow problems. The head of the Kuwait Football Federation Sheik Talal al-Fahad said the Gulf state’s team could come under threat if it did not receive a cash injection from the government. al-Fahad announced his intentions to appeal to Kuwait’s ruler Sheik Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah for the additional funds, according to the Kuwait Times newspaper. The emir gave KWD2m (US$7.2m) to the team seven months ago, but media reports say the money is almost all spent. The proposed federation budget is meanwhile tied up in parliament due to a dispute about the legality of the federation board. The news comes following a spate of setbacks for Kuwait football. The club, which is nicknamed Al-Azraq, failed last month to advance in qualifying for the up and coming World Cup, which it last qualified for in 1982. It also failed to qualify for the London Olympics.