Roberto Mancini has left his position as Saudi Arabia head coach after 14 months in charge.
The 59-year-old was appointed as the nation’s head coach on a four-year contract in August 2023 following his resignation as manager of the Italian national team.
A statement from the Saudi Arabian FA on Thursday confirmed that a “joint agreement” had been reached with Mancini to see him depart.
— مجلس إدارة الاتحاد السعودي لكرة القدم ومدرب المنتخب الوطني “روبرتو مانشيني”، يتوصلون اليوم لاتفاق مشترك يتضمن انتهاء العلاقة التعاقدية 📝⬇ pic.twitter.com/tVfVCGpvVi
— المنتخب السعودي (@SaudiNT) October 24, 2024
Saudi Arabia have won just one of their last five matches and are currently third in Group C of the third round of Asia’s qualification process for the 2026 World Cup.
The top two teams from the six-team group will automatically qualify for the finals, which will be played across the U.S., Mexico and Canada in the summer of 2026, while the third and fourth-placed sides will advance through to the next round of qualification.
The former Manchester City and Inter Milan coach guided Italy to victory at Euro 2020 but failed to lead the team to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar the following year.
Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup for the first time in 2034 with the nation’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) also investing heavily in club football.
PIF funded a takeover of Premier League club Newcastle United in 2021 and has subsequently invested in domestic Saudi Arabian clubs, including Al Nassr, Al Hilal and Al Ittihad.
Players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neymar, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are among those who are playing their club football in the Middle East nation.
(Masashi Hara/Getty Images)
