Karim asks to return to the team as an ordinary player. His apology names an old hurt, but the next training session gives his teammates something more concrete to judge.
01Read the Arabic story
عَوْدَةٌ بِدُونِ شَارَةِ الْقِيَادَةِ
وَقَفَ كَرِيمٌ عِنْدَ بَابِ الْمَلْعَبِ حَامِلًا حَقِيبَتَهُ. قَبْلَ عَامٍ، غَادَرَ الْفَرِيقَ بَعْدَ خِلَافٍ حَادٍّ. كَانَ قَائِدًا مَاهِرًا فِي تَحْدِيدِ الْخُطَطِ، لَكِنَّهُ كَانَ يَنْسِبُ الْخَسَارَةَ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ. وَحِينَ رَآهُ مَرْوَانُ، تَذَكَّرَ كَيْفَ لَامَهُ أَمَامَ الْجُمْهُورِ عَلَى هَدَفٍ دَخَلَ الْمَرْمَى. لَمْ يَكُنْ وُصُولُهُ مُفَاجَأَةً؛ فَقَدْ طَلَبَ الْعَوْدَةَ فِي رِسَالَةٍ قَبْلَ التَّدْرِيبِ.
جَمَعَ سَلِيمٌ، الْقَائِدُ الْحَالِيُّ، اللَّاعِبِينَ لِسَمَاعِ طَلَبِهِ. قَالَ كَرِيمٌ إِنَّهُ يُرِيدُ الْعَوْدَةَ لَاعِبًا عَادِيًّا. أَخْرَجَ شَارَةَ الْقِيَادَةِ الَّتِي بَقِيَتْ فِي حَقِيبَتِهِ، وَوَضَعَهَا بِجَانِبِ الْكُرَةِ. اعْتَذَرَ لِمَرْوَانَ، وَسَمَّى الْمَوْقِفَ الَّذِي آذَاهُ بَدَلًا مِنْ طَلَبِ نِسْيَانِ الْمَاضِي. رَدَّ مَرْوَانُ: «سَمِعْتُ كَلَامَكَ، لَكِنَّنِي لَا أَعْرِفُ بَعْدُ كَيْفَ سَأَلْعَبُ مَعَكَ». بَقِيَتِ الشَّارَةُ عَلَى الْعُشْبِ.
رَأَى بَعْضُ اللَّاعِبِينَ أَنَّ خِبْرَتَهُ سَتُفِيدُ الْفَرِيقَ، بَيْنَمَا خَشِيَ آخَرُونَ عَوْدَةَ التَّوَتُّرِ. قَالَ سَلِيمٌ إِنَّ الْمُشَارَكَةَ فِي التَّدْرِيبِ لَا تَعْنِي مَكَانًا مَضْمُونًا فِي الْمُبَارَاةِ. وَضَعَ كَرِيمٌ حَقِيبَتَهُ قُرْبَ الْمَقْعَدِ، وَبَدَأَ يَنْقُلُ أَقْمَاعَ التَّدْرِيبِ مَعَ لَاعِبٍ جَدِيدٍ. لَمْ يَعْرِفْ هَذَا اللَّاعِبُ تَفَاصِيلَ الْخِلَافِ، فَسَأَلَهُ بِبَسَاطَةٍ عَنْ مَكَانِ الصَّفِّ الْأَخِيرِ مِنَ الْأَقْمَاعِ.
أَثْنَاءَ التَّمْرِينِ، أَضَاعَ اللَّاعِبُ الْجَدِيدُ فُرْصَةً بَعْدَ تَمْرِيرَةٍ مِنْ كَرِيمٍ. اِلْتَفَتَ مَرْوَانُ لِيَرَى رَدَّ فِعْلِ قَائِدِهِ السَّابِقِ. رَفَعَ كَرِيمٌ يَدَهُ، ثُمَّ سَأَلَ سَلِيمًا إِنْ كَانَ مِنَ الْأَفْضَلِ أَنْ يُمَرِّرَ أَبْكَرَ. نَاقَشُوا الْحَرَكَةَ وَأَعَادُوهَا. فِي الْمَرَّةِ الثَّانِيَةِ، وَصَلَتِ الْكُرَةُ إِلَى قَدَمِ الْمُدَافِعِ. لَمْ يَتَحَوَّلِ النِّقَاشُ إِلَى صُرَاخٍ، وَلَمْ يُسَجِّلْ أَحَدٌ هَدَفًا.
بَعْدَ التَّدْرِيبِ، أَخْبَرَ سَلِيمٌ كَرِيمًا بِمَوْعِدِ اللِّقَاءِ الْقَادِمِ، دُونَ حَدِيثٍ عَنِ التَّشْكِيلَةِ. كَانَ كَرِيمٌ يَأْمُلُ أَنْ يَلْعَبَ الْمُبَارَاةَ، فَسَكَتَ لَحْظَةً ثُمَّ كَتَبَ الْمَوْعِدَ. جَلَسَ وَحْدَهُ لِيَرْبِطَ حِذَاءَهُ. مَرَّ مَرْوَانُ وَوَضَعَ زُجَاجَةَ مَاءٍ إِضَافِيَّةً بِجَانِبِهِ، ثُمَّ مَضَى دُونَ كَلَامٍ. شَكَرَهُ كَرِيمٌ، وَأَغْلَقَ حَقِيبَتَهُ. أَمَّا الشَّارَةُ الْقَدِيمَةُ، فَقَدْ حَمَلَهَا سَلِيمٌ مَعَ أَدَوَاتِ الْفَرِيقِ.
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Karim stood at the entrance to the pitch carrying his bag. A year earlier, he had left the team after a bitter disagreement. He had been a captain skilled at devising tactics, but he blamed others for defeats. When Marwan saw him, he remembered being blamed in front of the spectators for a goal conceded. His arrival was no surprise: he had requested a return in a message before training.
Salim, the current captain, gathered the players to hear his request. Karim said he wanted to return as an ordinary player. He took out the captain’s armband that had remained in his bag and placed it beside the ball. He apologised to Marwan, naming the incident that had hurt him rather than asking for the past to be forgotten. Marwan replied, “I have heard what you said, but I do not yet know how I will play alongside you.” The armband remained on the grass.
Some players thought his experience would benefit the team, while others feared renewed tension. Salim said that joining training did not mean a guaranteed place in the match. Karim put his bag near the bench and began moving training cones with a new player. This player did not know the details of the disagreement and simply asked him where the last row of cones should go.
During the exercise, the new player missed a chance after a pass from Karim. Marwan turned to see his former captain’s reaction. Karim raised his hand, then asked Salim whether it would have been better for him to pass earlier. They discussed the move and repeated it. The second time, the ball reached a defender’s foot. The discussion did not turn into shouting, and nobody scored.
After training, Salim told Karim the time of the next session without discussing the line-up. Karim had hoped to play in the match, so he fell silent for a moment, then wrote down the time. He sat alone to tie his shoe. Marwan passed, placed an extra bottle of water beside him and walked on without speaking. Karim thanked him and closed his bag. As for the old armband, Salim carried it away with the team’s equipment.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| يَنْسِبُ الْخَسَارَةَ | attributes the defeat |
| شَارَةَ الْقِيَادَةِ | the captain’s armband |
| آذَاهُ | hurt him |
| خَشِيَ | feared |
| مَضْمُونًا | guaranteed |
| أَقْمَاعَ التَّدْرِيبِ | training cones |
| تَمْرِيرَةٍ | a pass |
| التَّشْكِيلَةِ | the line-up |
| إِضَافِيَّةً | extra |
| فَسَكَتَ | so he fell silent |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Use the text to distinguish facts, concerns and supported inferences. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- Returning to a group can offer a chance to act differently without immediately restoring a former role or relationship.
- Marwan’s small gesture supports a cautious possibility of renewed contact, not certainty that the hurt has disappeared.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Relative Pronouns: Joining Ideas with Alladhi and Allati
شَارَةَ الْقِيَادَةِ الَّتِي بَقِيَتْ فِي حَقِيبَتِهِ
Follow allati back to the feminine noun for the captain’s armband.
Arabic Time and Place Adverbs: Before, After, In Front and Behind
بَعْدَ التَّدْرِيبِ
Use the time phrase after training to locate the final conversation.
