Al-Ahli and UAE national team goalkeeper Hamd Al-Maqbali admitted the mistake he made during the first half of his team's match against Al-Wasl, which angered his coach Paulo Sousa, confirming that he apologized and bears full responsibility for what happened.
Al-Maqbali told "Al-Ittihad" that his actions on the field were not appropriate after he made a risky move inside the penalty area, which angered the coach and led him to ask the substitute goalkeeper to start warming up. "I indeed made a mistake towards the coach and got emotional during the situation, and I know well that the coach was right, and between the halves I apologized to him, and he understood the situation," he said.
He added: "It is natural for the coach to be angry in such cases, he is like a father inside the team, and in any house some disagreements may occur, but the most important thing is respect and discipline, and the coach accepted my apology, and after the match we celebrated the victory together."
The incident had sparked controversy during the first half after Al-Maqbali dribbled an Al-Wasl player inside the penalty area and played the ball confidently, but this move angered coach Paulo Sousa a lot, before the goalkeeping coach intervened to contain the situation and calm the atmosphere on the touchline.
The match ended with Al-Ahli winning 3-1 on Sunday in a strong match at Rashid Stadium in a match postponed from the ninth round.
