Sri Lanka head coach Abdullah Al Mutairi accused the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) of discrimination against Arab coaches and vowed never to return to the region after his side’s 4-0 defeat to Bangladesh on Wednesday.
The Kuwaiti coach made the allegations during the post-match press conference, claiming that SAFF had sent him a disciplinary notice at midnight ahead of the crucial Group A clash.
“This is the last time I will come to the SAFF region because I believe SAFF has a problem with racism against Arabs. They don’t like Arabs,” Al Mutairi said.
He claimed the notice warned him of a possible six-month ban and a $10,000 fine over his earlier comments about refereeing and fair play.
“Why did you send it at midnight? Couldn’t you wait until 9:00 in the morning? What was the hurry?” he asked.
Al Mutairi also accused SAFF of double standards, referring to incidents involving India’s former coach during the 2023 SAFF Championship. He claimed the federation had treated the Indian coach more favourably despite confrontations with opposition players.
He also recalled the 2021 SAFF Championship, when he was coaching Nepal, claiming he was wrongly suspended from the final over two yellow cards.
The coach suggested that the disciplinary notice had affected his side’s preparations for the Bangladesh match.
“From the moment I received the email, I knew we would lose because we haven’t played in the World Cup,” he said.
Al Mutairi said he had responded to SAFF with a 14-point email and promised to publish evidence supporting his allegations on Facebook.
“They can do whatever they want. Ban me for two or three years. It will be a holiday with my wife and family,” he said.
Bangladesh’s 4-0 victory secured top spot in Group A and eliminated Sri Lanka from the tournament.
SAFF’s response to the latest allegations was not immediately available.
