Tunisia -
The former captain of the Tunisian national team, Radhi Jaidi, still holds the record for the largest number of international matches, thanks to 105 matches he played in the Carthage Eagles shirt, during which he was present in the most prominent periods of the golden generation of Tunisian football, which crowned the African Nations Cup 2004, and who participated in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. .
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Net, Jaidi - who wrote his name in the records of the 2006 World Cup scorers in Germany - reveals the reasons that prevented the Carthage Eagles team from reaching the second round, whether in that version or in all Tunisian participations in the history of the World Cup.
Al-Jaidi talks about the chances of the Arab teams in the next edition of the World Cup in Qatar, which he believes will be an opportunity for Arabs to write history. He also talks about the honor of organizing the first World Cup in an Arab country.
The following is the text of the interview:
Two months before the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the first World Cup to be held in an Arab country.. In your opinion, what does this event represent for Arab football in general?
There is no doubt that Qatar's organization of the World Cup - as the first Arab country to receive this honor - is a major event that we should all celebrate as Arabs. Qatar will be the focus of the world's attention for at least 4 weeks.
Qatar has already shown years ago that it is fully prepared to ensure all means of success for these events through infrastructure, number and quality of stadiums, as well as good hospitality, and this appeared in particular in the Arab Cup 2021, and it was successful both in sports and in organization.
These are promising indications that the 2022 World Cup will be an occasion to confirm the Arabs' ability to host major sports competitions, and this success will certainly pave the way for other Arab countries to weave Qatar's example and submit files to host the World Cup.
Besides holding the record for international matches with Tunisia (105 matches), you were among the few Tunisian players who were present in successive editions of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. What does participating in a World Cup-sized competition represent for you and for each player?
I consider myself fortunate to participate in two editions of the World Cup. These two participations, apart from the results we achieved at the time, are the result of the hard work, great effort and sacrifice that I made throughout my football career. I remember very well all the matches I played. The matches are essential, and I scored a goal against the Saudi national team in an exciting match that ended in a draw (2-2), and I consider that goal a source of pride for me and a bright sign in my football career.
Participation in the World Cup is a great honor and pride for every player, given that it is not available to everyone. There are great players - whether in Tunisia or in the world - whose failure to participate in the World Cup is still a black point in their career, and this confirms the value of playing the World Cup. More than suitable.
On the other hand, participation is not an honor, but rather a responsibility that imposes on the player to do his best to defend the flag of his country and the shirt of his team.
Radi Al-Jaidi celebrates his goal against Saudi Arabia in the 2006 World Cup (Getty)
Tunisia participated in the World Cup finals on 5 occasions as the most attended Arab team, 50/50 with Morocco and Saudi Arabia, but during all these participations it was unable to pass the first round.. In your opinion, what are the reasons for that?
Participation in a competition the size of the World Cup is a major event and a difference in the history of each team, which requires special preparation that differs from preparing for other continental or regional competitions. Powerful and ready.
I am not familiar with the circumstances of the Tunisian team’s preparations for the 1978 and 1998 World Cup, but in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan and 2006 in Germany, there are many factors that prevented our brilliance and reaching the second round, most notably that the planning and preparation for both versions were not sufficiently studied, Here, I mainly refer to the camps and friendly matches that should have been in front of strong teams.
Second: The choices of players who represented Tunisia - whether in the 2002 or 2006 World Cup - were not successful, and the evidence is that the list included some players who were substitutes with their clubs or injured and not sufficiently prepared, it was more appropriate at that time to rely on the ready player who participates regularly With his club and plays continuously.
Do you think that the Qatar 2022 edition will be an opportunity for the Carthage Eagles to realize the dream of the masses and cross to the second round for the first time in their history?
We have a young and ambitious team that includes players who are a mixture of promising elements that seek to impose themselves in the team and others who have experience and experience that qualify them to emerge, but the reality of the field may differ when we face teams that have prepared themselves well for the World Cup and seek in turn to shine, win and preserve the gains they have achieved in previous sessions such as France, for example.
We have to be realistic, and go into the World Cup without calculations. Dealing seriously and with a professional mentality is the way to enhance our chances of getting positive results.
How do you judge the teams in Group D, which belongs to Tunisia and includes France, Denmark and Australia?
All of them are strong teams and have their weight, whether at the continental level in which they are active or at the global level, the group in which we will play in the first round is not easy, and all the teams in it are able to compete for two places in the second round, but of course there are differences between them, the French team is a competitor Heavyweight and a candidate to play the first roles as the title holder in 2018.
As for the Danish national team, it has great experience in participating in the World Cup and includes in its ranks players who are active in the most prestigious European leagues, which makes it one of the most difficult opponents for our team.
The Australian team managed to qualify through the play-offs, which means that it is theoretically less valuable and weighted compared to the teams of France and Denmark, but we should be wary of it and take it seriously when facing it.
Tunisia national team that participated in the 2006 World Cup (Reuters)
Do you think that Qatar's hosting of the finals will enhance the chances of the Arab teams in order to produce remarkable results?
Playing in an Arab country is an element that will be in the interest of all Arab teams, not just Qatar, because we know that the Arab public will support Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, but as I said before, the reality of the field is the most sincere and realistic.
The Arab teams will enter with the preference of the public, which will clearly affect them, and this should be combined with a good performance on the green rectangle to produce remarkable results.
Which teams are most likely to play the first rounds and compete for the 2022 World Cup title?
The competition will certainly be exciting and intense, especially for the teams that have been accustomed in recent editions to targeting the podium, such as Brazil, France and Germany.
England and Spain will, in turn, be among the candidates to play the first rounds, unless loud surprises occur in this World Cup.
After your inspiring career as a player in the English Premier League and captain of the Carthage Eagles team, you devote yourself to training and went through some experiences, most recently with Tunisian Esperance during the past year, why did that experience end so quickly?
What is your next training station?
My experience at the head of the technical staff of Esperance was good and successful in many aspects, but unfortunately we were not lucky to go far in the African Champions League, the competition that was among our most prominent goals, or in the Tunisian Cup, but the team won the league championship and showed a high and good level In many matches, whether it was local or continental, and in general it was an experience that benefited me and my mother team a lot.
I trained in England, the United States, Belgium and Tunisia, experiences that I have clearly benefited from, and gained experience and knowledge of football schools in different countries.
I am currently following all the European and Arab leagues without forgetting that the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be a station that attracts all followers in the world. It will determine my next destination.