(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) All the hopes of Oman's football fans were ended by a ruthless Australia knocking the sultanate's team out of the Asian Cup on Tuesday.
Four goals to Oman's none took Australia to the quarterfinals and left fans either seething or just plain dejected with some calling for the coach's ouster.
Talib Hilal coach of the national beach soccer team said that Oman had lost its first match of the tournament 0-1 but this drubbing was highly disappointing.
'Oman losing to Australia by 0-4 is sad. Our team didn't play well. In addition the hosts had many advantages like crowd support. This built pressure from the very beginning.'
Hilal said there was hope for the team as the players are relatively young. 'We need to play more international matches to get better results' he suggested.
Hamoud al Touqi a former professional footballer himself said Oman kicked off on the wrong foot. 'The defence was really bad as the coach did not know how to go about it. I think it's time for the coach to go; he has been given a second chance. The midfielders need to be replaced too.'
Suleyyem al Musallami former national player wasn't expecting a lot anyway looking at Oman's Gulf Cup trouncing despite its win against Kuwait but feels it was not the coach's fault. 'The team wasn't ready and I knew it wouldn't do well after its pre-tournament loss to China.'
He said Oman's players lack the experience of playing professional football. 'They have regular jobs and play for their teams at night. That's not professional. The defence and Ali al Habsi should share some blame for the loss against Australia. It's not the coach's fault. He's excellent. It's good to have stability and he's been the coach for a while' Musallami added.
Paulo Koscina coach Samba Futsal Centre too raised the point of players having two careers which affects their game. 'Football in the country needs to grow from what it is today. Local players are not real professionals with lots of them having a day job while they are on the football pitch in their free time. Lots of professionals who come here are disappointed with the way the players are treated. Ideally in Brazil where I come from training starts as early as four which is a good age to make children understand what football is what is training and what competition means' he said.
According to him most players here start training at 15-16 years. 'And the level of training is so poor that you can see coaches sitting on the side bench while the trainees are just kicking the ball in the field. You need to understand the players their temperament to be able to mould them into professionals.' He said that the immense potential in Oman needs to be harnessed better. 'It's a long-term process and I am hopeful that results will follow with better training.'
Ahmed Shameer a fan keenly following Oman's matches feels that the team lacks fresh talent. 'It has been playing international matches with the same faces. This is because of the pathetic condition of domestic league matches. The Oman Football Association should focus on league matches to bring in fresh blood so that Team Oman becomes a force to reckon with in the future.'
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