Ferreira: The match against Al-Duhail is important for us, I’ll always defend my players

Al-Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira spoke to the media on Thursday and described his team’s upcoming Emir Cup semifinal against Al-Duhail as an important and tough clash, while adding that the players have no excuse for not winning.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Ferreira said: “We have an important match coming up in the semifinal. we will play one of the strongest sides in Qatar and Asia. Everyone saw how Al-Duhail played against Al-Ain. We have played many semifinals against Al-Duhail and they’re always tough. Our goal is to win and reach the final to make our fans happy.”

Asked if Al-Duhail’s Asian travel would give Al-Sadd an advantage, he said: “I don’t think the travel will make Al-Duhail fatigued. I am happy with the away win they got over Al-Ain. It’s a huge psychological boost. Al-Sadd will also travel to Jeddah after tomorrow’s match. Teams that play in Asia will always face these issues.”

As for Baghdad Bounedjah’s absence, the coach remarked: “Baghdad’s absence will be an advantage for Al-Duhail especially as he is a big attacking force for us. I still don’t know why he was sent off in the Qatar Cup final.”

He added: “I hope we won’t have a repeat of the mistakes we saw in the Al-Duhail v Umm Salal and Al-Sadd x Al-Duhail games. The Qatari media and even the European media criticized the refereeing errors that happened in the Qatar Cup final. Referees are human and they make mistakes. But if the referee views the video multiple times and still gives a wrong penalty then this is not fair. I hope there won’t be any pressure on the referee and I also hope that the video is used in a fair way only.”

Ferreira also added that the Al-Sadd players had the mental fortitude and experience to overcome the loss of the Qatar Cup. “There is not excuse for not winning and qualifying for the final,” he stated.

In his final thoughts, Ferreira said: “As a coach, I will protect and defend the Al-Sadd players at all time against everyone. I will not talk badly about the referees. In our next match, we will only depend on our ability to get the win. There is no pressure on us.”