WORLD CUP USA ’94 ROUND OF 16 : Spotlight : PRIORITIES IN ORDER

One of the first things Jorge and Eduardo Solari did when they came to Riyadh to coach the Saudi Arabia national team four months before the World Cup finals was develop a training schedule.

“As soon as we turned it in, they gave it back,” Eduardo said.

The Solaris, from Argentina, did not leave time for the players to pray.

“We had to adopt our training to their prayer times,” Solari said. “That doesn’t happen anywhere else.”

The Solaris were speaking to a member of the royal family before their World Cup match against Morocco when the conversation stopped suddenly.

“I need to pray,” he told them.

“He went to a corner of the room and looked toward Mecca and prayed. You could be buying a house or a car, but when it’s time to pray they close everything. Everything can wait except their faith,” Solari said.