Iraq coach under fire after losing to Saudi Arabia

Abu Dhabi: Iraqi coach Akram Salman has come under fire after his team lost their crucial match to Saudi Arabia by a single goal on Wednesday and made their exit from the 18th Gulf Cup.

Iraq were one of the favourites to win the title after winning the silver medal in the Asian Games last month. They strengthened their claim after playing an excellent game to beat Qatar 1-0 in the opening game. In addition they have the second largest number of fans who must be very disappointed to see their team knocked out of the tournament.

Iraq drew 1-1 with Bahrain and then lost their last match against the Saudis and failed to reach the semifinals.

Abdul Khalig Masaood, an administrator with the Iraq team, laid the blame squarely on Salman.

"He is responsible for the team's wrong plan in the match," said Masaood.

"He applied defensive tactics because he wanted to draw with Saudi Arabia, knowing that one point would have been enough for Iraq to reach the semifinals. "He squandered the efforts of the players, the fans and the Iraqi FA, who provided all facilities for the team to prepare for this tournament."

Masaood said that the Iraq Football Association will soon meet to decide the fate of the coach.

"I would really like to apologise to our loyal fans for letting them down," Masaood concluded.

Razzag Farhan, the veteran striker, said that Salman has destroyed the dreams of the Iraqi fans.

"His plans were wrong for a team that were one of the favourites to win the title. No team can win matches while applying defensive strategies," he said.

Farhan had announced that he would retire from international matches and that the Gulf Cup would be his last participation, but his coach never gave him the chance to play.