Saudi Federation President Criticizes Mancini’s Early Exit, Coach Apologizes
The President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Yasser Al Misehal, criticized the premature departure of Italian coach Roberto Mancini from the field before the conclusion of the penalty shootout against South Korea on Tuesday in the round of 16 of the Asian Football Confederation Cup in Qatar, describing it as “completely unacceptable.”
The penalty shootout ended with South Korea’s victory at 4-2 (1-1 after regular and extra time), but Mancini (59) did not witness the last penalty scored by Hwang Hee-chan, as he had entered the tunnel leading to the dressing rooms at the Al Thumama Stadium.
In televised statements, Al Misehal expressed his dismay at the coach’s actions, stating, “The coach’s early exit is completely unacceptable, and we will discuss with him the reason for this occurrence. We do not accept this behavior from anyone. It is his right to explain his point of view, and then we will decide on the appropriate course of action.”
Regarding the possibility of Mancini’s dismissal due to his widely criticized behavior in the Saudi media, Al Misehal explained, “It is too early to comment on that. In terms of our technical work, we are completely satisfied as a board of directors, but we must investigate and evaluate the actions that occurred. I do not like to rush into anything.”
Mancini Apologizes
Mancini offered his apologies for his early departure, clarifying at a press conference, “I thought the match had ended, and I did not intend to show any disrespect to anyone.”
The coach, who led Inter Milan to the Italian league title between 2006 and 2008 and Manchester City to the English Premier League title in 2012, added, “I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the players, thanking them for their efforts throughout the match.”
However, Saudi media focused on the inconsistency in the coach’s statement when asked about the reason for his premature exit from the field, justifying it by saying, “One goal was enough.”
The Saudi national team was just a minute away from reaching the quarter-finals after leading with a goal from Abdullah Al Hamdan until the ninth minute of extra time when Cho Gue-sung equalized, forcing the game into extra time.
Abdulaziz Al Ghiyama remarked, “The players delivered a historic performance, and I did not expect the team to show this level. Mancini’s behavior was unacceptable and unprofessional, but his tactical touches with the national team are clear. It’s been 20 years since I’ve seen the team subjected to such pressure.”
Al Misehal described the end of regular time as a distressing and unexpected scenario, stating, “We prepared well for this match, and there was a strong determination to deliver a performance that would be reflected in the result.”
He added, “The penalties did not go in our favor, and we wanted to please the fans, but in the end, we lost on penalties. This is the nature of football, and we apologize to the Saudi fans for that.”
Conversely, he indicated that the relevant committees would play their role regarding the excluded players from the official line-up shortly before the start of the Asian Cup. “The matter of the players is with the relevant committees, and once decisions are made regarding the players, we will announce them.”
Mancini, who unexpectedly took over as the coach of Saudi Arabia after resigning from managing Italy in August last year, with a contract until 2027, decided not to enlist the services of goalkeeper Nawaf Al Qasem. He replaced Ayman Yahya and Abbas Al Hassan, who were omitted due to injury, with Mohammed Al Buraik and the young Talal Haji, in addition to Mohammed Al Yami. He also chose not to summon the veteran midfielder Salman Al-Faraj and the regular right-back Sultan Al Ghanam from the World Cup in 2022.
The coach, who led Italy to the European Championship title in the summer of 2021, entered into a fierce crisis with the excluded players on the eve of the tournament, accusing them of refusing to represent the three-time Asian champions, prompting a defensive response from Al Faraj, Al Ghanam, Al Qasem, and a demand for an investigation into his questioning of their patriotism.
