Roberto Mancini blasted for ‘shockingly disrespectful’ act during Saudi Arabia’s penalty shootout defeat to South Korea
ROBERTO MANCINI has been slammed for his behaviour during Saudi Arabia’s penalty shootout defeat to South Korea.
His side were knocked out of the Asian Cup on Tuesday after losing 4-2 on penalties.
Roberto Mancini left down the tunnel mid-penalty shootout
— CBS Sports Golazopic.twitter.com/fvWetyfXEO
(@CBSSportsGolazo) January 30, 2024
During the shootout, Mancini was seen walking down the tunnel before the final spot-kick.
The former Manchester City boss had seen enough after Abdulrahman Gareeb’s miss handed South Korea the chance to win.
Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan then stepped up to score and set up a quarter-final clash with Australia on Friday.
Saudi Arabia had led for the entirety of the second half and been on the brink of progression before conceding an equaliser in the ninth minute of stoppage time.
However, Mancini was quickly criticised by supporters for his antics on social media.
One fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “This is shockingly disrespectful.”
Another angry supporter added: “So low and disrespectful.”
A third also commented: “That’s really low for someone of his calibre. Disrespectful, not only to the opponent, but to his own team.”
Meanwhile, one more simply said: “What a sore loser.”
Mancini has been in charge of the Green Falcons since last summer.
He was appointed on a four-year deal through to 2024 after stepping down as Italy boss.