Saudi Arabia promises stiff punishment for three of its players over their role in 0-5 loss to Russia

SAUDI Arabia's football authorities have threatened severe punishment against at least three of their players over their role in the disastrous 0-5 loss to Russia in the opening game of the ongoing World Cup.

Russia and Saudi Arabia got the World Cup going on Thursday with the hosts coasting to an easy 5-0 victory against a shambolic and disorganised Saudi side.  Saudi Arabia Football Federation president Adel Ezzat has subsequently revealed that three players will be punished following this disastrous opening day defeat.

Mr Ezzat said: “We are very disappointed by the defeat. This result is totally unsatisfactory because it does not reflect the true level of our preparedness.

“Several players will face a penalty. They include goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf, striker Mohammad Al-Sahlawi and defender Omar Hawsawi.”

There was also criticism from another government figure as Turki bin Abdulmohsen Al-Sheikh, the chairman of the General Sport Authority, described the game as a total fiasco in a video posted on his Twitter page. He said: “These players have made my face go black with embarrassment and fury.

“This is down to their weak potential and ability as we did everything for this team and this generation of players, everything. We brought them the best technical support, a team of the highest level and we paid them for three years but now we see they have limited capabilities."

It is not yet clear what kind of punishment the players will face or if they will be axed from the team for the remainder of the tournament. Saudi Arabia has some of the harshest laws on earth as its version of Sharia is extremely brutal.