Yasser Al-Misehal, the President of the Saudi Football Federation (SAFF), has strongly criticized the departure of Italian coach Roberto Mancini from the field before the conclusion of the penalty shootout, labeling it as "completely unacceptable."
Following South Korea's 4-2 victory in the Asian Cup Round of 16, Al-Misehal expressed his disapproval of Mancini's actions in an interview with SSC, the tournament broadcaster. Al-Misehal stated, "The coach's exit is completely unacceptable, and we will discuss with him why this happened... He has the right to explain his point of view, and then we will decide the appropriate action... Technically, we are satisfied with the performance presented in the Asian Cup."
In response to the criticism, Coach Mancini issued an apology during the post-press conference, explaining, "I thought that the match was over and did not intend to disrespect anyone." He also expressed gratitude to the players for their efforts throughout the game.
Regarding the sidelined players, Al-Misehal mentioned that relevant committees would be involved in the decision-making process. He stated, "The matter of the players is with the relevant committees, and as soon as a decision is made regarding the players, we will announce it."
Describing the end of regular time as an "annoying and unexpected scenario," Al-Misehal expressed regret, saying, "We prepared well for this match, and there was a strong determination to present a performance coupled with results. The penalty kicks were not in our favor, and we wanted to delight the fans, but in the end, we lost to lucky shots. This is the nature of football, and we apologize to the Saudi fans for that."
