IMO, both Dragan and Mehdi misinterpreted each other's statements. It's unfortunate that it escalated to this level. Having said that, I don't think the punishment fits the crime. And it certainly isn't just Mehdi being punished, but the whole team's dynamics and psychology as a result (he could have chose to bench Mehdi against Lebanon for example).
Additionally, I don't buy the argument that Mehdi should be made an example of, so others don't follow suit and openly criticize the coach. This argument has been tried in much bigger arenas, and clearly doesn't work (not to get too political, but it was the argument Kissinger used to go to war against Vietnam to stop the spread of communism, known as the "domino theory", and we also know the death penalty doesn't deter crime, etc).
Additionally, I don't buy the argument that Mehdi should be made an example of, so others don't follow suit and openly criticize the coach. This argument has been tried in much bigger arenas, and clearly doesn't work (not to get too political, but it was the argument Kissinger used to go to war against Vietnam to stop the spread of communism, known as the "domino theory", and we also know the death penalty doesn't deter crime, etc).
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