Khaberni - According to the Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh, there is a tendency within the board of directors of the Saudi Football Federation to dismiss Hervé Renard, the head coach of the first team, from his position and to start the search for a replacement coach, before the preparation phase for the 2026 World Cup finals, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
According to sources from "Al Riyadh," the current options are limited to contracting one of the coaches from the Saudi Roshan Professional League, or attracting a new coach who will have his first experience in the Kingdom, on "being able to keep up with the development of Saudi football, fulfilling the aspirations of officials and fans, and maintaining the rising reputation of Saudi football in recent years."
Renard commented on the possibility of being dismissed from his position following the "Green" team's failure to reach the finals of the Arab Cup 2025, where he responded to questions about his future saying: "I have a contract and I will continue my work. I can't do anything if someone else wants to make another decision. I will continue, but if I am told that my work is done, I will go somewhere else, such is football."
The contract of the French coach, who is 57 years old, with the Saudi national team extends until the Asian Cup finals in 2027, which makes the issue of ending the contract dependent on an administrative decision if the change is made during the upcoming period.
About the recent loss against the Jordanian team, Renard said: "We prepared excellently for the match, and the statistics are clear, we had 69% possession compared to 31% for the opponent, and we knew the playing style of Jordan, but we were unsuccessful defensively, and the opponent created many chances, and we did not maintain the scoreless draw, nor were we able to score."
The Saudi national team bid farewell to the Arab Cup from the semi-final round after losing to Jordan by a goal to nil, in the match that took place at Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar, last Monday evening.
