Dônis: rumours about my departure harm the Saudi national team, and what is happening to us is unfair
Greece's Georgios Donis, head coach of the Saudi Arabian national team, expressed his displeasure at the speculation surrounding his future with Saudi Arabia, stressing that the rumours being raised about him are unfair.
Saudi Arabia beat South Korea 3-2 at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Friday, the first of their friendlies during this international break as they ramp up preparations for the challenges ahead.
The victory is their first over South Korea in 21 years. You have to go back to 2005, when the Saudis won home and away, 2-0 and 1-0, in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.
Six matches have passed since without a Saudi win. South Korea took two of them, four ended level, and then came Friday's result.
Donis reflected on the win at the post-match press conference, in comments reported by the Saudi newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat".
The Greek coach said: "I decided to select 30 players in preparation for the Asian Cup, and to give all the players the opportunity to show their abilities, and I am happy with what I saw from them, as they showed great fighting spirit, whether they played ten minutes or the full match."
"The performance today was excellent for 75 minutes, and we faced difficulty at the end of the match, but we pressed as much as possible and delivered a performance full of confidence," he added.
"The real start always comes from the dressing room by giving the players complete confidence and enhancing high concentration and communication between everyone," he continued.
"All the players committed to applying the tactical instructions required of them, while showing great respect for the opponent," he went on.
Turning to his own future, Donis said: "You know that I am a frank person and I convey a lot of messages, I feel that I am a part of Saudi Arabia, and I am not just an ordinary coach, even when I was a coach of clubs here."
"After the postponement of the Asian Cup, I informed my technical staff that our contract ends before the new date of the tournament, then some circulated the names of big coaches, and these are rumours that are not useful at all," he continued.
"Even after my return from Jeddah, a Greek friend in NEOM told me about news of my dismissal following the Gulf Cup, and here I am today continuing with the national team," he said.
"The rumours do not affect me personally, but they harm the dressing room, and those around us realise the size of our work, and what is being raised is not fair to us," he added.
On the next stage, he explained: "I have a plan ready and constantly prepared for the next stage up to the Concacaf, which includes holding meetings with clubs and focusing on young talents under 23 to continue growth and development."
"Saudi football has a new generation that needs a clear future strategy, and even if I am not the head coach of this national team, I will always remain the first supporter of Saudi Arabia," he added.
He concluded: "The technical programme I presented covers the stage up to the March break next to hold friendly matches during it, after which that period will be followed by the stage of preparation and readiness for our participation in the Concacaf."
