After a string of poor performances over his 14-month tenure, Italian veteran coach Roberto Mancini has been dismissed as the head coach of Saudi Arabia’s national team. Despite a lucrative contract worth a staggering $100 million, the Saudi federation decided to move on with a known leader, who already knows what is to beat Lionel Messi‘s Argentina.
Saudi Arabia have turned once again to Herve Renard with the aim of securing qualification for the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Renard, who recently coached the French women’s team, is a familiar adversary to both Lionel Scaloni and Argentina’s national team.
Renard upset Argentina in the 2022 World Cup while coaching Saudi Arabia. On that occasion, his team ended La Albiceleste’s 36-match unbeaten streak, putting Argentina in a high-pressure situation to qualify for the knockout stage—a challenge they ultimately overcame, going on to win the tournament.
Hervé Renard during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 (Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
He is now set for his second stint with the Middle Eastern squad. However, he has a tough challenge ahead as the team has struggled recently, winning only 7 of their last 18 matches. They currently sit third in Group C of the third round of qualifiers, which wouldn’t secure a direct spot in the 2026 tournament, now less than two years away.
In his most recent role, Renard guided France’s women’s team to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup, where they were eliminated by host nation Australia. He also managed the squad at the Paris Olympics before stepping down following a loss to Brazil.
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Herve Renard’s record with Saudi Arabia
During his first stint with Saudi Arabia from 2019 to 2023, the 56-year-old French coach managed 44 matches, earning 18 wins, 12 draws, and 14 losses, capturing about 50% of the possible points.
Mancini blames players after Saudi Arabia exit
Reports from Italian media suggested that tensions between Roberto Mancini and the Saudi Arabian players had been brewing for some time, a sentiment he confirmed after his departure. “Sometimes, I think players need to take responsibility,” Mancini remarked following a 0-0 draw with Bahrain in a World Cup qualifier.
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He added, “In my life, when I was a player, I took responsibility because it’s easy to blame the coach. It’s way too easy, but often that’s not the case. When a coach teaches everything to the team and they improve, then some players need to bring that quality to the field. If they don’t have it, of course, it’s difficult.” According to The Daily Mail, his severance pay-out will be between €20m and €25m.
