Sri Lanka coach Abdullah Al Mutairi went all guns blazing against the SAFF, citing referee decisions and the unavailability of VAR as the main reasons during their opening game against Bhutan that ended with a scoreline of 2-2.
Mutairi questioned how India’s involvement acts as an influence to push for a final spot for India.
“If the commercial benefits want India-Bangladesh in the final, make the competition between both of them only. The others can play just play-offs. Next time, if the referee makes the same mistakes and the same atmosphere, just give India-Bangladesh the final match. Send the other teams back home, and save our time from wasting,” said Mutairi.
He also went on to emphasize the Bangladesh match and puts the refereeing on the pedestal for fair play.
“If all of these mistakes of refereeing (are made) against Bhutan, what will happen for us against Bangladesh? This is the message for SAFF. If all of these mistakes are made in front of Bhutan, what will happen for us against Bangladesh?” he questioned further, as, according to him, it is not about Bangladesh or Sri Lanka, but about who is the hosting nation and how it influences commercial benefits of the tournament, like SAFF.
