Islamabad, Oct 25: Saudi Arabia Parts Ways with Roberto Mancini After Short Stint as National Football Coach
Roberto Mancini, the former manager of Manchester City, has agreed to leave the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, ending his 14-month career as manager of the national team. This is a major move for Saudi Arabian football.
Mancini, who assumed the position in August 2023 after leaving his post with Italy, had a difficult time leading the team, particularly in the latter few months when both the media and the players questioned his dedication to the group.
He made news when he said that three players had been cut from the squad because of doubts about their dedication to the games, right before Saudi Arabia’s Asian Cup first match in January. Goalie Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Sultan Al-Ghannam, and former captain Salman Al-Faraj all vehemently denied this claim.
Mancini also had a turbulent Asian Cup, when he controversially walked down the tunnel prior to South Korea’s game-winning penalty in a shootout that eliminated Saudi Arabia.
Mancini also regularly complained about the Saudi Pro League’s dearth of opportunities for domestic forwards during his time there. High-profile foreign acquisitions from elite European teams, such as Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, have increased as a result.
The Saudi team under his leadership had a difficult time in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round, suffering unforeseen draws against lower-ranked opponents like Bahrain and Indonesia that threatened their chance to compete.
When Roberto Mancini arrived to Islamabad with the Saudi national team for the second round of World Cup qualifying, he will be remembered by Pakistani supporters as one of the most well-known figures to visit the nation for an official FIFA-delegated competition. In the match, he guided his team to a 3-0 victory.
Remarkably, following their trip to Pakistan, the Italian manager was fired, making him the fourth manager to lose their position in the previous 12 months.
Hussein Ammouta was fired by Jordan, Petar Šegrt was fired for traveling to Pakistan with Tajikistan, and Félix Dalmás was fired by Cambodia for not defeating Pakistan.
