19th Arabian Gulf Cup
The 19th Arabian Gulf Cup (Arabic: كأس الخليج العربي) was the nineteenth edition of the biannual Gulf Cup competition.It took place in Muscat, Oman, from 4 to 17 January 2009, with Oman emerging as the winner for the first time in its history,[1] following a penalty shootout against regional rivals Saudi Arabia.The 19th Arabian Gulf Cup marked a milestone in the competition when it was broadcast for the first time in HD, and featured virtual graphics, such as distance between free kick barrier and the goal, 9.15 m circle for free-kicks, and off-side line detection with help from Al-Jazeera Sports.[2] Many praised Al-Jazeera for their excellent coverage of the competition, noting that the camerawork was very similar to UEFA Euro 2008.The 19th Arabian Gulf Cup was originally planned out to be held in 2008, but due to Cyclone Gonu damaging Muscat six months before the planned time of the event, it was then postponed to early 2009.