October 25 – After less than 15 months, Saudi Arabia have parted ways with manager Roberto Mancini after the ambitious footballing country’s national team failed to live up to expectations.
Mancini, 59, and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) reached a joint agreement to end his contract follow a difficult time for the Italian in the Arab kingdom.
In 2023, Mancini succeeded Hervé Renard, who departed to manage the French women’s national team.
Renard had led the Green Falcons to the 2022 World Cup and that famous first-round win against Argentina and Lionel Messi in the first round of the tournament.
Even so, the former Manchester City and Inter Milan manager was seen as an upgrade from his predecessor. He guided Italy to the Euro 2020 title but surprisingly departed the Squadra Azzurri for an adventure in Riyadh, becoming reportedly the best-paid manager in the world in the process.
In January, the Asian Cup – a tournament Saudi Arabia will host in 2027 – represented Mancini’s first major test, but on the eve of the tournament, he dropped three players saying they wanted to pick and choose their games. Salman Al-Faraj, Sultan Al-Ghannam and goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi however denied Mancini’s allegations. In the knockout phase, he then walked down the tunnel before South Korea eliminated his team from the penalty spot.
Saudi Arabia’s form has not picked up during the World Cup qualifiers. The Falcons have five points from four third-round World Cup qualifiers, including three matches on home soil. Earlier this month, Saud Arabia lost against Japan and drew against Bahrain at home. Next month, the Saudi team travel to Melbourne for a crunch qualifier against the Socceroos. That will be without Mancini.
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