'SAFF wants Bangladesh and India to play the final,' says Sri Lanka coach in refereeing outburst

Sri Lanka coach Abdullah Al Mutairi's press conference was quite a spectacle. After Sri Lanka and Bhutan drew their match at the National Stadium tonight, he strongly criticised the refereeing and SAFF.

Sri Lanka played good football in the match, but still could not win, and the Lankan coach pointed the finger at the referee. Mutairi said: "We were not given at least one fair penalty. Our forward was fouled six times, but the referee showed nothing. Instead, the whistle always went in Bhutan's favour, which went in Bangladesh's favour. SAFF wants Bangladesh and India to play the final. Then let the rest of us play friendly matches."

Bangladesh did not play today, so why did the Bangladesh topic come up at all? In answer to that question, the Kuwaiti coach of Sri Lanka said: "In SAFF, the host team always gets the advantage. Check 2023, 2021 or the earlier editions. Even if this tournament were held in Sri Lanka, another team's coach would have said the same about Sri Lanka."

This time, referees from outside South Asia have been brought in to improve the standard of refereeing in SAFF, and VAR will be used in the semi-finals and the final. Mutairi raised questions about that too. He said: "Every match in a tournament is important. VAR should be there in every match. If VAR cannot be kept in all matches for financial reasons, there is no need to organise the tournament."

Like the Sri Lanka coach, Maldives coach Steven had also raised questions about VAR after the Pakistan match. He said: "There are doubts about some goals and attacks. Had there been VAR, the picture might have been different."

With the Sri Lanka-Bhutan match ending in a draw, Bangladesh's place in the semi-finals is confirmed. If Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by a margin of two goals, Bhutan will play the semi-final on goal difference.

For the Sri Lanka coach, the Bangladesh-Bhutan match will be the best in SAFF history. He said: "Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will both play to win. The match will be one of the best matches in SAFF history."

Bangladesh have already reached the semi-finals, and a draw will be enough for Sri Lanka. So why would that match still matter so much? In reply, Mutairi said: "If we get points against Bangladesh, it will affect the rankings. The World Cup qualifiers draw is ahead, and if Bangladesh lose to us there, they may fall into pot two, in which case they may have to play Hong Kong and Yemen. So Bangladesh will play this match to win."