Sri Lanka football head coach Abdullah Almutairi had an axe to grind with the local media in the pre-match press briefing held at Football House in Colombo on Wednesday (8).

The press conference was held on the eve of the 2027 Men’s AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers encounter between hosts Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan played at Racecourse Grounds, Colombo yesterday (9).

But, when pressed further by a reporter as to what his misgiving was about, the Kuwaiti national was forced to correct himself insisting that his tirade was directed only at social media and not with the country’s print media outlets.

“I want to give a message to both fans and the media and everyone,” he said. “Before I joined Sri Lanka during the last 10-year period Sri Lanka had only won four. But since I took over the Sri Lanka team has won five matches in 12 games. So stop trying to teach me football. If you have won at least 10 matches in the last decade then I will accept.”

He clarified that his grouse was not with the country’s print media, but with the social media in which he said “certain keyboard experts were burning midnight oil in attempting to educate me on the Sri Lankan mentality and how to train my charges.”

“My gripe is with the social media and not with the newspapers and sorry that was my mistake. These social media pundits are so well versed in this game that they even talk about tactics. Football coaching is not merely confined to certificates. We have more than 100,000 coaches with certificates. So I advise these social media gurus to mind what they write in future.”  

The outspoken coach also gave another message in his combative nature to fans, media and everyone concerned with the game, by advising them not to jump the gun by calling for his head, which he said will not guarantee overnight success.

“They say that if I am removed the team will improve. I challenge them to do so and I make it bold here, to say that if they remove me now Sri Lanka will not improve for the next four years. Write it and keep it, that I said so on this date.”

Almutairi, who is not afraid to call spade a spade, cited the consequences suffered by his former team Afghanistan which he said had struggled since his removal in international football.

He said it’s not always about the players and noted that it’s also embedded into the coaching philosophy and regretted the fact that most media outlets here were now striving hard to team him with the finer points of football. 

“If I lose with my team I lose. I take responsibility for it. But now all want to be football experts. So this is for the fans and the media of this country. Stop attacking me because that will not benefit the team in any way.”

He also called on fans and media to ask both Nepal and Afghanistan as to the consequences they have suffered in the sport after both nations had opted to go after him during his previous tenures as head coach, instead of supporting the players through thick and thin.

“In every language I ask you please keep the players secure. Don’t put the players in the middle of the problems. If you want to fight with the Federation, if you want to fight with the Olympic Committee and if you want to fight within the media, keep the players away from it at all times.”