Saudis to hold players ‘accountable’ for drubbing

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s sports authorities threatened Friday to hold members of the national football team “accountable” after their crushing defeat against hosts Russia in the opening match of the World Cup.

Russia defied expectations as the lowest-ranked side in the tournament by thrashing Saudi Arabia 5-0 in front of an ecstatic home crowd in Moscow on Thursday.

“The result was disappointing and unsatisfactory,” Adel Ezzat, president of the Saudi Football Federation, told Al-Arabiya television Friday.

A “number of players” including goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf would be held accountable, he added.

“The team had been trained so they could rise to the occasion,” Ezzat said.

“The collapse was not because of fitness, but errors in passing the ball, technical errors,” he added.

Saudi sports authority chief Turki al-Sheikh, who is leading the kingdom’s multi-billion dollar push for global footballing influence, said he took “full responsibility” for the defeat.

“We did everything for them... we provided them the best coaching staff,” Sheikh said in a video posted on Twitter.

“Let no-one tell me (Argentinian coach Juan Antonio) Pizzi is not a known coach. But these are our players. They did not do even five percent of what was required of them. This is a reality that we should admit.”