Muscat: Former Oman national football team player Yousef Shaban passed away in Barka on Friday. The 38 years old served Oman national football team and many domestic sporting clubs on various successful accomplishments. Shaban breathed his last on Friday night after he was unwell for the last two years. Yousef, who hails from Barka, began his football career in Al Shabab club and he was well known more in Dhofar club as he spent many seasons with the Salalah giants.
At the national football team level, Shaban represented the Red Warriors in different regional and international championships and events. He was selected to the national team squad in 2004 and he was a key player in the three consecutive editions of Gulf Cup in 17th, 18th and 19th and he assisted the team to lift the historic Gulf Cup title in 2009 in Muscat.
Czech football coach Milan Macala depended on Shaban and he was one of the essential faces in the national team squad. His first presence with the national teams was in 2002 during the Asian Games qualifiers and then in the AFC Asian Cup in 2004 in Beijing. Also, he took part with Red Warriors in the World Cup qualifiers in 2006 and he assisted the national team to win against Singapore.
The Oman Football Association (OFA) chairman, officials and the football family in the Sultanate mourned the death of the experienced national player.
Former national team player Fawzi Basheer, who was the team-mate of Yousef Shaban, expressed his sadness at the passing away of Shaban. He was a brother before being a team-mate. Fawzi recommended to the OFA to support the idea in honouring the services of Yousef Shaban in the national team by allocating part of the Oman and Germany match’s ticketing revenue to his family.
