Oman did not know they had qualified before Gulf Cup draw, says committee chief

Oman were not told they had reached the Gulf Cup 27 semi-finals before a decisive draw with Iraq, according to Khalid Al-Muqrin, chairman of the competitions committee at the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation.

Oman beat Kuwait 3-1 while Iraq lost 2-0 to Saudi Arabia in the final round of Group A fixtures. The results left Oman and Iraq level on points, goals and fair-play records, meaning a draw was required to determine who would progress.

The need for the draw emerged after Oman’s Musab Al-Shaqsi removed his shirt while celebrating his side’s third goal. He was booked for the offence, leaving the two teams level on eight cards each and reviving Iraq’s hopes of reaching the last four.

Oman eventually won the draw and secured their place in the semi-finals.

Asked about claims that Oman had been informed they had qualified immediately after their match, Al-Muqrin rejected the suggestion.

“That did not happen. Oman were not informed, and their celebrations after the match were their own decision,” he said, according to Al Riyadiyah.

“The committee met after the match, examined the reports and confirmed to representatives of both countries that they were level on cards, with eight each.”

He added that the qualification criteria and regulations had been made clear before the tournament began, including the provision for a draw in such circumstances.

Al-Muqrin also defended the transparency of the process. Speaking to Alkass, he said representatives of both Iraq and Oman had been allowed to inspect the balls used for the draw.

“We allowed representatives of the Iraqi and Omani teams to check the balls that would be used in the draw as a measure of transparency, because we have nothing to hide,” he said.

“This is a historic edition because this situation has happened for the first time in the Gulf Cup. But everything is proceeding according to the regulations.”

Al-Muqrin stressed that the world rankings were not one of the approved methods for separating the teams.

“Everyone knew the regulations before the tournament started, and the world ranking is not among the criteria used to decide qualification,” he said.

Asked about reports that Iraqi officials had objected to the draw, he replied: “I do not know anything about that.”

He said all teams had representatives on the representation committee and had approved the regulations, while also having representatives on the relevant tournament committees.

Al-Muqrin said the competitions committee was not responsible for the bookings, which were a matter for the match officials.

“The competitions committee has nothing to do with the cards; that is the responsibility of the referees,” he said. “Players must be more aware that fair play is an important factor in football.”

He added that similar situations had occurred in other competitions.