Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui has described FIFA's decision to hand midfielder Assim Madibo a five-match suspension as "exaggerated", insisting the midfielder should never have been sent off for the challenge that left Canada's Ismael Kone with a broken leg on June 19.
Speaking after Qatar exited the World Cup after a 3-1 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, Lopetegui said he had deliberately avoided commenting before the match but questioned both the red card decision and the length of the ban.
"I did not want to speak about this before the match because I did not want anyone to think I was focusing on the past," Lopetegui said. "Now I can say that, in my opinion, the punishment is exaggerated. I reviewed the incident and I do not believe it was a red card. It was an unfortunate situation, but in my view it was not worthy of a red card."
Madibo was shown a yellow card after the 56th-minute challenge during Qatar's 6-0 defeat to Canada before referee Cristian Garay upgraded the punishment to a red card. FIFA's Disciplinary Committee on Wednesday extended the automatic one-match suspension to five matches for serious foul play.
Lopetegui also questioned why the referee changed his decision without reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor. "The referee initially showed one decision and then changed it after receiving information from the VAR team," he said.
"My question is simple: if the referee had already seen the incident, why not review it himself on the monitor? If someone tells you something different from what you saw, surely it makes sense to check it yourself. I have not received an answer to that question. That is why I believe the decision was wrong."
Kone suffered fractures to his tibia and fibula in the challenge and underwent surgery. Madibo later apologised to the Canada midfielder in person and, along with Qatar's sports minister HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani, visited him in hospital. Images released by the Qatar Football Association showed the pair embracing.
The five-match suspension means Madibo served one game against Bosnia and will miss Qatar's next four FIFA competition matches, likely including fixtures at the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.