A furious Roberto Mancini failed to keep his emotions in check after appearing to tell Saudi Arabia fans to ‘f*** off’ after their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup were dealt a blow following their goalless draw at home to Bahrain.
The former Inter Milan, Manchester City and Italy boss took up the post as head of the Saudi national team last year but has won just eight of his 20 matches in charge. Mancini’s side were beaten 2-0 at home to Japan on Thursday night and failed to bounce back with a victory against neighbouring country Bahrain, with wide man Salem Al-Dawsari missing a first half penalty. The draw has left them sitting joint-second with Australia in Group C of the Asian section of qualifying for the finals in North America in two-years time, with leaders Japan five points clear of the chasing pack.
The teams that finish in the top two places will secure automatic qualification for the World Cup, with the sides in third and four then forced to enter a final group stage where they will play two other nations from groups A and B. Mancini, 59, was asked about the negative reaction from supporters following the Bahrain draw and also attempted to deflect criticism around his own position, with some reports in the Middle East suggesting the Italian is set to step down from the role to pave the way for the return of Herve Renard.
The former Sampdoria and Lazio legend said: “Today, we absolutely deserved to win. We squandered numerous opportunities, including a missed penalty, but overall we were the better team. Addressing the backlash from fans, he added: “If you’re upset, it’s only natural for emotions to run high. But let’s not lose sight of what happened on the pitch.
“Had we converted the penalties against Indonesia and today, we would be sitting with nine points. I’ve done everything possible; I fielded all our forwards, yet we were simply unlucky. This year, we’ve had numerous young players, and unfortunately, some aren’t getting playing time at their clubs. We’ve made progress as a team, but the onus is on our attacking players to step up.
“It’s easy to point fingers at the coach, but the players must take responsibility as well. While I take my role seriously, they also need to acknowledge their part in our current situation. We’ve worked with each player individually and collectively, and I know they have much more to give.”