Sri Lanka national football coach Abdullah Al Mutairi has accused the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) of double standards, questioning why he faces a possible six-month suspension and $10,000 fine while a former European coach of India received a much smaller punishment for misconduct.
Speaking after Sri Lanka’s 4-0 defeat to Bangladesh in the SAFF Championship on Wednesday, Al Mutairi alleged that he was being unfairly targeted because he is Arab.
“He’s European, he’s coach of India, who can stop him?” Al Mutairi said, referring to former Indian national team coach Igor Stimac.
The Sri Lankan coach compared his situation with that of Stimac, who was fined $500 during the 2023 SAFF Championship for using abusive language against match officials.
Al Mutairi questioned whether SAFF would take similar disciplinary action against a European, American or Russian coach.
“I believe SAFF has a problem, racism against Arabs,” he told reporters.
According to Al Mutairi, SAFF’s legal department sent him an email around midnight on Tuesday, giving him just 10 hours to respond to disciplinary allegations arising from his comments following Sri Lanka’s 2-2 draw against Bhutan.
He said the email referred to his criticism of refereeing decisions and his demand for Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology during the group stage.
“If I don’t use any abusive language, why you sent me in the midnight?” he questioned, asking why the federation could not wait until the following morning.
The Kuwaiti coach also recalled an incident during the 2023 SAFF Championship when Stimac physically interfered with a Pakistani player attempting a throw-in, triggering a confrontation.
Al Mutairi questioned why his criticism of match officials could attract a significantly harsher punishment than the disciplinary action taken against the former Indian coach.
He further alleged that SAFF had previously treated him unfairly during the 2021 Championship when he was coaching Nepal.
“This is the last time I come to the SAFF region,” he declared, claiming that the organisation did not like Arab coaches.
Al Mutairi said he had submitted a 14-point response to the disciplinary notice and would publicly release evidence supporting his allegations.
Sri Lanka’s 4-0 defeat to Bangladesh ended their campaign in the 2026 SAFF Championship, with Bangladesh advancing to the semifinals as Group A winners. (Newswire)