Weiss throws ball in anger, is suspended

BANGKOK – Azkals coach Michael Weiss must have been so upset with the way things were going that during a dead ball situation, instead of throwing the ball into the ground or just leaving it idle, he tossed it into an injured Anucha Kitpongsri, who was on the ground near the Phl bench.

For that, he was sent off by Japanese referee Sato Ryuji and had to watch the remaining nine minutes and five minutes of added time on the stands in the Azkals’ sorry 1-2 loss to Thailand at the start of the AFF Suzuki Cup Group A action.

That action could be costly as the German mentor was suspended and will have to sit out the crucial game against Vietnam tomorrow as disciplinary sanction.

“I wanted to roll the ball but I threw it instead,” said Weiss. “It was not my intention to hit the player. Why will I do that? Then they made a lot of noise and the referee, sent me off. I think it (red card) was not necessary.”

The German mentor said he felt “in several situations we were not correctly judged.” One instance was when a Thai player threw an elbow that bloodied the lip of Juani Guirado and meted only a yellow card at the 65th minute. He vehemently protested that and got warned.

“I speak a little Japanese, told the referee a few words that he didn’t like because I felt there should be a little bit more balanced (in the calls). But again, the referee was not the reason we lost the game. We didn’t really play our best,” Weiss said.

The official notice of Weiss’ suspension was announced yesterday while sources said the management is considering to file an appeal.

However, the coaching staff will prepare for any eventuality, with assistant Diding Cabalida likely to call the shots vice Weiss.

“We’ll make preparations so that even my assistant can take the role. We will be in contact. Obviously (it’s) not the best situation, but we’ll give it our best,” said Weiss.