Sri Lanka national football head coach Abdullah Al Mutairi has accused the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) of applying double standards in its disciplinary process, questioning why he could face a six-month suspension and a $10,000 fine while former India head coach Igor Stimac received a significantly smaller punishment for misconduct.
Speaking to reporters after Sri Lanka's 4–0 defeat to Bangladesh in the SAFF Championship on Wednesday, Al Mutairi alleged that he was being treated unfairly because of his Arab background.
He compared the disciplinary action reportedly being considered against him with the $500 fine imposed on Stimac during the 2023 SAFF Championship for using abusive language towards match officials.
“He’s European, he’s coach of India, who can stop him?” Al Mutairi said, referring to Stimac.
The Kuwaiti coach questioned whether SAFF would impose similarly severe sanctions on a European, American or Russian coach, and accused the regional governing body of discrimination against Arab coaches.
“I believe SAFF has a problem, racism against Arabs,” he told reporters.
Al Mutairi said SAFF's legal department had emailed him around midnight on Tuesday, giving him only 10 hours to respond to disciplinary allegations linked to his comments following Sri Lanka's 2–2 draw against Bhutan.
According to the coach, the notice concerned his criticism of refereeing decisions and his calls for Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology to be introduced from the group stage of the competition.
Questioning the timing of the communication, he said: “If I don’t use any abusive language, why you sent me in the midnight?”
He also questioned why the federation had not waited until the following morning to send the notice.
Al Mutairi further recalled an incident during the 2023 SAFF Championship in which Stimac allegedly physically interfered with a Pakistani player who was preparing to take a throw-in, triggering a confrontation. He questioned why his own criticism of officiating decisions could lead to a substantially harsher disciplinary outcome.
The Sri Lankan coach also claimed that he had been treated unfairly by SAFF during the 2021 Championship, when he was in charge of Nepal.
“This is the last time I come to the SAFF region,” he declared, adding that he believed the organisation did not welcome Arab coaches.
Al Mutairi said he had submitted a 14-point response to the disciplinary notice and intended to make public evidence to support his allegations.
His comments came after Sri Lanka's 4–0 defeat to Bangladesh, which brought their campaign in the 2026 SAFF Championship to an end. Bangladesh secured top spot in Group A and advanced to the semi-finals.
Al Mutairi's allegations raise questions about consistency and fairness in SAFF's disciplinary procedures. However, the claims remain the coach's account, and no response from SAFF regarding the allegations has been included in the information provided.
