Saudi Arabia manager Roberto Mancini has denied claims that his team selection is biased and has given assurance that his policy for the team selection is to develop young players and give them a chance so that they can hone their skills.
The former Manchester City manager reacted to the criticism after former Saudi captain Yasser Al Qahtani blatantly termed him a ‘coward’ and accused him of leaving important players behind who had served the country for so long.
Earlier, Mancini stated that three players from Saudi Arabia opted out of the camp themselves and were not part of it on their own accord. However, the players completely denied and refuted this claim made by their manager, creating a rift in the team.
Despite the issues, Saudi Arabia is currently leading Group F in the ongoing AFC Asian Cup after they won both matches comprehensively, registering a 2-1 win over Oman and defeating a 9-man Kyrgyzstan. The Saudi team is sitting at the top of the table with 6 points.
The Italian said in a press conference, “My policy is that the players who are ready to play will play. I have 26 players. Some are famous, others are young, but if you win it’s as a team, not because of one player.”
He emphasized the importance of youth development and how he planned to nurture young players under his management, “I’ve managed this team for four months. Sometimes it’s not enough, you need more time. But we’ve improved a lot in four months and we can improve in the future.”
Saudi Arabia has not won the AFC Asian Cup since 1996 and the team is in a quest to win their fourth title in the competition.
Roberto Mancini coined Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Iran as favorites to win the competition this year but remained determined that Saudi Arabia will look to change history and try to win it.
The Group F toppers will face Thailand in their last group match today and will try to finish their group strongly with a maximum number of points.
Here are the standings of Group F:
| Team | W | D | L | Pts |
| Saudi Arabia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Thailand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Oman | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
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