DOHA — Yasser Al-Misehal, president of the Saudi Football Federation (SAFF), has labeled Italian coach Roberto Mancini's departure from the field before the end of the penalty shootout as 'completely unacceptable.' The shootout concluded with South Korea's 4-2 victory in the Asian Cup Round of 16. Speaking to SSC, the broadcaster of the tournament, Al-Misehal expressed his disapproval of the coach's actions. "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," he stated. Following the criticism, Coach Mancini issued an apology for his premature exit during the penalty shootout. In his statement at the post-press conference, Mancini explained, "I thought that the match was over and did not intend to disrespect anyone." He also took the opportunity to express his gratitude towards the players, thanking them for their efforts throughout the game. Al-Misehal mentioned that the committees would perform their roles regarding the players who were sidelined. "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," he added. Describing the end of regular time as an "annoying and unexpected scenario," Al-Misehal said, "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."
