UAE U17 coach blames himself for group exit

UAE coach Rashed Amir insists he is to blame for his side's disappointing FIFA Under-17 World Cup campaign after the hosts were dumped out without picking up a single point.
The Young Whites slumped to a 2-0 defeat against 10-man Slovakia in their final Group A game on Wednesday night – a side they had beaten 3-1 in the build-up to the tournament.
Tomas Vestenicky headed both goals, one in either half, to give Slovakia a comfortable win despite Jakub Gric’s harsh dismissal on the stroke of half-time.
The defeat finally crushed the optimism that was fostered in the UAE ahead of the competition and has left Amir worrying about his job.
Amir had boldly predicted that his side would reach the last four before a ball was kicked but the Young Whites found the going tough in a group that featured favourites Brazil, Honduras and Slovakia.
“We have trained a lot and we did everything we could,” said a disconsolate Amir. “The players and everybody around the team did their best, the blame should be on me, I take that blame myself. It was my mistake they didn’t win.
“I’m the one to be blamed, everyone did what I asked but I trained the players and picked the team and I was in charge of everything. I obviously didn’t do it as well as I should have.
“I have been a coach for 20 years and the coach doesn’t always have to win and doesn’t always lose. Now my future lies in the hands of the federation.”
 yahoo.com