Bahrain coach issues apology for Gulf Cup defeat

The Kingdom of Bahrain's national team coach, Argentinian Gabriel Calderon, expressed his deep sorrow for failure to qualify for the final match of the Gulf Soccer Cup 2013 (Khaleeji21), praising highly the Bahraini footballers and congratulating them on their great efforts during the match on the Bahrain National Stadium. In a press conference after the match, Calderon said: I congratulate the Iraqi national team on attaining the finale and I also salute the Bahraini players who emerged intact but I'm very sorry for losing the chance to qualify for the finale. However, the penalty kicks depend a lot on luck and we've been unlucky during this match. Calderon accused the referee of the match of counting an unlawful goal after defender Abdullah was shoved off inside the penalty zone. Calderon refused to talk about his future with the Bahrain national team, however, he pointed out that Bahrain is teeming with capable talented players who can form a big, competitive team for external championships. On the other hand, Hakeem Shakir revealed that Iraqi national team played in such a manner so as to reach penalty kicks after Iraqi footballers lost concentration during the last 15 minutes of the match as they had to undergo heavy pressure from Bahraini side who are playing on their territory and amongst their fans. Shakir has congratulated the Bahraini national team for their great performance during the match and praised their endurance and fortitude although they had no luck to qualify for the finale as a result of outweighing penalty kicks which the Iraqi team won only due to sheer luck. From : BNA