Gulf Cup: Oman were not told they had qualified before draw, says committee chief

Oman were not informed they had reached the Gulf Cup semi-finals before a draw decided their passage ahead of Iraq, according to Khalid Al-Muqrin, chairman of the competitions committee of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation.

Al-Muqrin rejected suggestions that Oman had been told they were through before the draw on Tuesday evening, insisting the decision was made only after the relevant match reports had been checked.

Oman beat Kuwait 3-1 in their final Group A match, while Iraq lost 2-0 to Saudi Arabia. The results left Oman and Iraq level on the qualifying criteria after an incident in the Oman-Kuwait game altered the standings.

Oman forward Musab Al-Shaqsi removed his shirt while celebrating his team’s third goal and was shown a yellow card. That booking revived Iraq’s hopes because it left the two teams level on points, goals and fair-play records.

The draw was then held to determine which side would join the semi-finals, with Oman winning it.

Asked about claims that Oman had already been told they had qualified, Al-Muqrin said: “That did not happen. Oman were not informed. Whatever celebration they had after the match was up to them.

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

The comments were reported by Al Riyadiya on X.

Al-Muqrin added: “The qualification criteria and the regulations were known before the tournament started. In this situation, the regulations required a draw.”

He also defended the transparency of the process, telling Alkass channels: “We allowed representatives of the Iraqi and Omani teams to inspect the balls that would be used in the draw as a measure of transparency, because we have nothing to hide.”

He described the tournament as a landmark edition, saying: “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 said all teams had known the rules in advance and dismissed the idea that world rankings could have been used to settle the tie.

“Everyone knows the regulations before the tournament began,” he said. “The world ranking is not one of the criteria used to decide qualification.”

Asked about reports of an objection from Iraqi officials, he replied: “I do not know anything about that matter.”

He also said the competitions committee was not responsible for the number of cards awarded during matches.

“The competitions committee has nothing to do with the cards; that is a matter for the referees,” Al-Muqrin 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.