Roberto Mancini under attack in Saudi Arabia after the defeat against South Korea on penalties in the 16th round of the Asian Cup in Doha.
The coach ended up at the center of controversy because he left the field before the end of the penalty shoot-out: a "completely unacceptable" attitude, thundered the president of the Saudi Football Federation.
Mancini didn't stop to see the decisive penalty from South Korean Hwang Hee-chan which eliminated the Saudi team.
After a 1-1 draw, South Korea won 4-2 on penalties and will face Australia in the quarter-finals in Qatar.
Mancini had already apologized yesterday saying that he thought "the match was already over".
But the president of the Saudi Football Federation, Yasser Al-Misehal, underlined in an interview with the Saudi broadcaster SSC that "the coach's exit is completely unacceptable": "We will discuss with him why what happened - he added - He has the right to explain his point of view and then we will decide on the appropriate action."
"Technically we are satisfied with the performance in the Asian Cup - said Misehal - even if I never like to lose".
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA