Zlatko requests referee to re-watch the clip of dismissing Ismail
In his post-match press conference, Al Ain FC’s Croatian coach Zlatko Dalić admitted that his squad wasted many scoring opportunities and did not perform as expected during the first twenty minutes; “However, my men fared well, showed their powerful personality and were closer to win despite the dismissal of Ismail Ahmad,” he commented.
Zlatko also admitted that he was forced to make two changes that were not without any impact; “We had to replace Saeed Al Menhali and Dyanfres in the first and second halves after they had picked up injuries. Honestly speaking, I’m worried about Saeed’s injury hoping it’s not serious,” he said.
On sending off Ismail Ahmad, Zlatko said that the match showed many incidents that need to be reconsidered by the Disciplinary Committee; “I request the same committee who suspended Asprilla to re-watch the clip in order to verify the dismissal incident and to justify why Ismail was sent off,” he added.
He went on to say: “I hope each one will re-watch the clip to verify whether or not Ismail deserve to be dismissed. Similarly, I requested the referee to re-watch the clip many times before he writes his report.
If it turns out that Ismail deserved dismissal, we won’t challenge the decision; but if he doesn’t as we believe because Ismail did not come into contact with Al Wahda player, the referee needs to mention that in his report.”
On the final outcome of the match, Zlatko replied: “We play each game with the intention of winning. As I said earlier, Al Ain’s games are considered ‘Clasico’ because our competitors view their encounters with Al Ain FC in each season as their most serious challenge; and I’m personally proud of that.”
He dismissed any worries that his squad would fail to win the AGL title at the end of the current season; “I strongly trust in my players’ ability to snatch the AGL lead given their excellent performance and powerful personality.” He concluded.
