Double Delight: Al-Qadisiyah Secures Thrilling Victory Over Damak in Saudi League Showdown

Media and social networking sites have linked some coaching names to the future of the Saudi national team, with Frenchman Hervé Renard becoming a leading candidate to take over as Al-Akhdar’s coach, according to “The Athletic” network sources.

The same source confirmed that the 56-year-old coach had been named as a possible successor to Roberto Mancini, who left his position on Thursday “by mutual agreement” after 14 months as Greens coach.

Although no agreement has yet been reached, a new coach is in the process of being appointed, with three candidates in the running, with Renard leading as a possible replacement, in what will be his second time coaching the Saudi national team.

Weeks ago, Renard declined to comment on reports of Green’s return to the party leadership.

Renard said, in an exclusive statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, that the best way to deal with the news of his return to coach “Al-Akhdar” is to contact the Saudi Football Federation directly.

Renard said: “The best way is to contact the Saudi Football Federation directly, as it is the responsible party concerned to answer any inquiries regarding this matter.”

Renard, 55, previously took charge of the Saudi national team in 2019 and will lead to the 2022 World Cup, after topping the Asian group, which included Japan, Australia, China and Thailand.

It is expected that Renard’s deal to return to Al-Akhdar training will be decided within the next 24 hours.

Unofficial sources have indicated that Romanian Rajvan Lucescu, the former Al Hilal coach, will be considered as an alternative candidate if a final agreement cannot be reached with Renard.

Renard, who led the “green” for the first time from 2019 to the beginning of 2023, began a successful period that included many achievements, especially the historic victory against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup.

Mancini was expected to lead the Saudi national team to achieve a qualitative leap in performance at the international level, but challenges began to mount as Saudi players did not regularly participate with their local clubs.

Renard had a tense experience with al-Akhdar before returning to France (Asharq al-Awsat).

This affected their physical and technical preparation, which had a negative impact on Mancini’s training philosophy, which relied on benefiting from players with the highest level of preparation.

After the Saudi national team lost to Japan (0 – 2) at the Radiant Jewel Stadium in Jeddah, which was the first historic loss for “Al-Akhdar” at home in Japan, the pressure increased on Mancini, who stumbled to a goalless draw against Bahrain, with five points. Finished third in his group, making progress towards qualification even more difficult.

The challenges Mancini faced included the Saudi league’s ability to attract international stars, which reduced playing opportunities for local players, and so he found himself at war with a football environment that did not serve his philosophy based on player availability. Prepared for international competition.

Mancini has recently denied the news and information attributed to him by the media, confirming through the “X” platform that he has not made any statements recently and that everything related to his statements can be referenced on his official page. Instagram,” and that he distanced himself from everything that could be said in his own words.

Mancini expressed his great joy and satisfaction with his time spent with Al-Akhdar, as he posted on his official account on the Instagram platform, saying: “I enjoyed the opportunity to work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and I thank Saudi Football for the support and efforts during my stay. Thanks to the Federation.”

In addition, Mancini thanked the president, players, administration staff and fans who supported him during his tenure. He added: “I wish the Saudi national team all the success in the future.”

On Thursday, the Saudi Football Federation officially announced the dismissal of Mancini as the national team’s technical director, and the coming days will reveal more about the Saudi federation’s plans and next steps in the search for a new coach for the Greens. .