Saudi Arabia's World Cup preparations have suffered a setback after defender Saud Abdulhamid had his passport stolen during a break-in in Amsterdam, delaying his arrival at the national team's training camp.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) confirmed the incident on Monday, stating that the player would arrive late. The theft occurred while Abdulhamid was in Amsterdam with his family for his wedding ceremony.
"The player was unable to travel to Riyadh today as scheduled after his private vehicle was broken into in Amsterdam, where he was with his family for his wedding ceremony. The incident resulted in the loss of personal belongings, including his passport," the SAFF said in a statement.
The federation is coordinating with the Ministry of Sport and the Saudi embassy in the Netherlands to issue the necessary documents for Abdulhamid to join the squad. The defender, currently on loan at RC Lens from AS Roma, has been named in coach Georgios Donis's 30-man preliminary squad.
The Saudi team has already travelled to the United States for training camps in New York and Texas, where they will play friendlies against Ecuador, Puerto Rico, and Senegal. Saudi Arabia will compete in Group H at the World Cup, facing Spain, Uruguay, and Cape Verde.
