Saudi Coach on Rolls-Royce Rumors: "It's Not the Time to Receive Anything"

Coach Herv? Renard of Saudi Arabia
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Regarding the rumor that Saudi Arabian players, who caused a historic upset by defeating 'title favorite' Argentina in the World Cup, will receive Rolls-Royce cars as a reward, Saudi Arabia coach Eber Lehnar said, "This is not the time for us to gain anything. We have only won one match so far."

According to US CBS and UK The Sun, on the 25th (local time) at a press conference held in Doha, Qatar, coach Lehnar and Saudi Arabian forward Saleh Shahri were asked about the 'Rolls-Royce rumor.' When a reporter asked, "What color of car did you choose?" Shahri responded, "We came here to serve our homeland," and "That itself is the greatest achievement," dismissing the question. Coach Lehnar also emphasized, "Our football association and sports authorities are very serious," "We still have important matches to win," and "We have only played one match so far."

Coach Lehnar said, "I don't know if you remember the press conference before the match against Argentina. That match was just one of the three important matches we had to play."

Saudi Arabia was considered one of the weakest teams, but defying everyone's expectations, they achieved a 2-1 comeback victory over title favorite Argentina in the Group C first match held on the 22nd (Korean time) at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

After the dramatic victory, King Salman of Saudi Arabia declared a temporary public holiday to celebrate the Saudi Arabian national team's astonishing win. Crown Prince Bin Salman was also reported to have been seen embracing his family in joy.

Meanwhile, reports from Malaysian and Chinese media claimed that Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, regarded as the highest authority, would provide Rolls-Royce cars to the players, and this news quickly spread in South Korea as well. However, since no related reports appeared in Saudi Arabian local media, doubts about the authenticity grew.

Saudi Arabia will play their second Group C match against Poland at 10 PM on the 26th. The final match against Mexico will be held at 4 AM on the 1st of next month.