After several weeks of rumors, it seems that it is now official: Roberto Mancini is no longer the coach of Saudi Arabia.
The Italian coach has reached an agreement to end his contract by mutual agreement 14 months after his arrival.
The Saudi Federation dreams of the incorporation of Zinedine Zidane after the dismissal of the Italian coach. The Saudi team and the French coach have held talks but, for the moment, Zidane rejects the idea of joining the ranks of the Saudi Arabia National Team.
The statement from the Federation of Saudi Arabia
“The Board of Directors of the Saudi Football Federation and the coach of the Italian national team, Roberto Mancini, reached a joint agreement today that includes the termination of the contractual relationship.
The Council expresses its gratitude to Mr. Roberto Mancini and wishes him success in his career.
The Board will confirm the name of the next coach of the national team. “It will be announced in the coming days once the hiring procedures are completed.”
In that period, 14 months, the former Italy coach, with whom he won Euro 2020, has played a total of 18 games with a balance of seven wins, five draws and six losses.
Mancini, at that time, suffered a hard setback: he was eliminated in the round of 16 of the Asian Cup with South Korea (3-5).
In the qualifying phase for the 2026 World Cup, Arabia is second in its group, tied with Jordan, after adding 13 points out of a possible 18. However, the latest results have precipitated events.
Of the last five games, they have only won one: against China (1-2). Meanwhile, they have drawn with Bahrain (0-0) and Indonesia (1-1) and have played with Jordan (1-2) and Japan (0-2).