Saudi 360 – Yasser Al-Meshal, President of the Saudi Football Federation, indicated his dissatisfaction with what the national team is doing under the leadership of Italian coach Roberto Mancini in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Al-Mashal: The level of the Saudi team is unacceptable
Al-Meshal said in his statements to the media after Saudi Arabia’s draw with Bahrain on Tuesday evening: “The level was good. We must apologize to the fans who supported us. We have not seen the Saudi team in this situation.”
Al-Meshal added: “We are not satisfied with what is happening. Obtaining two points from 3 matches on your home field is unacceptable, and a decision will be made, God willing. There is a technical director who discusses with the coach and analyzes every match. The team’s performance against Japan was better.”
He continued: “We understand everyone’s extreme anger. As president of the Football Association, I bear full responsibility and promise everyone improvement. It is impossible to let the national team appear like this in 3 matches in front of an audience that does not skimp on supporting us.”
And he continued Saudi national teama faltering series at home in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, where they tied with Indonesia 1-1 and Bahrain without goals, and lost to Japan 0-2.
The Saudi national team occupies third place in its group for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, with 5 points, on par with Australia and Bahrain, while Japan is in the lead with 10 points.