Abdullah Al Mutairi

Abdullah Al Mutairi

Personal information
Full name	Abdullah Al Mutairi
Date of birth	(1981-12-18) 18 December 1981 (age 44)
Place of birth	Kuwait
Managerial career
Years	Team
2015–2016	Radhwa
2016	Qaryat Al-Ulya
2017	Kyrgyzstan U17
2019	Al-Shahania U23
2020-2021	Kyrgyzstan U17
2021–2022	Nepal
2023	Afghanistan
2023–2024	Al-Jahra
2024–2026	Sri Lanka
Medal record Men's football Representing     Nepal (as Manager) SAFF Championship Runner-up 2021 Maldives

Abdullah Al Mutairi is a Kuwaiti football manager who last managed the Sri Lanka national football team. He was also the head coach of the Nepal men's national football team for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC). ^{[1] [2]} He has also managed Kyrgyzstan national under-17 football team. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

Career

Al-Mutairi used to train youth teams around Kuwait, most notably Qadsia. In 2015, he moved to train teams in Saudi Arabia like Radhwa and Qaryat Al-Ulya. On 18 December 2020, Al-Mutairi got his AFC pro license from the Qatar Football Association.

Nepal

On 4 April 2021, Abdullah Al Mutairi was appointed as the head coach of the Nepal national football team by the All Nepal Football Association. ^[7]

On 25 July 2021, Al Mutairi announced via social media his intention to resign, citing internal disputes and politics within the All Nepal Football Association and disagreements with senior officials. ^[8] However, he continued in the role and later agreed to a contract extension after the 2021 SAFF Championship.

In October 2021, he led the Nepal national football team to their first-ever final in the SAFF Championship, where they lost 3–0 to India. Following the tournament, he agreed to a three-year contract extension with ANFA. ^[9]

Throughout his tenure, there were ongoing tensions and controversies involving internal disputes with ANFA officials and senior players. ^[10]

Al Mutairi officially resigned as head coach on 11 September 2022, after 525 days in charge, announcing the end of his tenure on social media. His departure followed prolonged disputes and a period of leave due to health reasons, and he was succeeded by Pradip Humagain as interim coach. ^[11]

Afghanistan

On 26 April 2023, he joined as the coach of the Afghanistan men's national football team. ^[12] His first with Afghanistan ended with chaos when he ordered his team leave the field after Kyrgyzstan’s first goal in the 97th minute during the 2023 CAFA Nations Cup. ^[13] On 16 June, Afghanistan lost 6-1 against Iran resulting in Al-Mutairi’s team finishing last in the group.

His erratic behaviour continued in a friendly match against Bangladesh in Dhaka on 7 September 2023, when he was sent off after a scuffle with a Bangladesh assistant coach, Hassan Al-Mamun. ^[14]

Al-Mutairi was sacked by the Afghanistan Football Federation in October 2023 following ongoing conflicts with players and internal disputes over team management and coaching methods. Several senior players had publicly complained to the federation and refused to accept him as head coach. His dismissal followed incidents such as refusing to sign the match sheet for a World Cup qualifier against the Mongolia. ^{[15] [16]}

Sri Lanka

On 20 August 2024, He was appointed as the interim head coach at Sri Lanka national football team for 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – play-off round matches against Cambodia. ^[17]

Al Mutairi stepped down as head coach of the Sri Lanka national football team on 22 January 2026 by mutual agreement. ^[18]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 18 October 2023

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	From	To	Record					Ref.
			P	W	D	L	Win %
Nepal	4 April 2021	11 September 2022	19	5	2	12	026.3
Afghanistan	26 April 2023	20 October 2023	7	2	2	3	028.6
Total			26	7	4	15	026.9	—

References

1. Nepal appoints Kuwaiti national Abdullah Almutairi as head coach of men's national football team Archived 2021-06-02 at the Wayback Machine The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
2. "विवादमा फस्न नचाहेको भन्दै बन्द प्रशिक्षण छाडेका भारतीय सैनिक भन्छन्- नेपालमा मभन्दा एक सय एक राम्रा गोलरक्षक छन्". www.nepalpress.com (in Nepali). Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepal Press. 8 May 2022. Archived from the original on 8 May 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
3. "مدرب كويتي يدرب منتخب النيبال بدعم قطري". m.al-sharq.com. Archived from the original on 2022-10-19. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
4. "Nepal football controversy: Abdullah Al Mutairi forgives players, but isn't he responsible for a solution?". english.onlinekhabar.com. Archived from the original on 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
5. "No grassroots: Abdullah Al Mutairi's comment is true of Nepal football at least for the next few years". english.onlinekhabar.com. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
6. "Coach Abdullah Almutairi In A Stable Condition". goalnepal.com. Archived from the original on 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
7. "Abdullah appointed as coach of Nepal's football team". Nepal Press. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
8. "National football team coach Al Mutairi announces resignation". Nepal Press. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
9. "National football coach Almutairi extends contract". The Kathmandu Post. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
10. "Task force recommends ANFA remove Al Mutairi". The Kathmandu Post. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
11. "Nepal national football team head coach Abdullah Almutairi resigns". Goal Nepal. 11 September 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
12. AFF
13. https://khelnow.com/football/2023-06-afghanistan-walkout-kyrgyz-republic
14. Reporter, Sports (2023-09-08). "'We were better in terms of chance creation'". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
15. "'It's so the young players can have a better future': why Afghanistan's men are on strike". The Guardian. 8 November 2023.
16. "Eighteen Afghanistan men boycott World Cup qualifier". The Guardian. 7 November 2023.
17. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
18. "Abdullah Al Mutairi steps down as Sri Lanka head coach". Facebook. Retrieved 23 January 2026.