Various media outlets reported on Wednesday (October 16) that the Saudi Football Federation was considering firing Italian coach Roberto Mancini after the team’s modest performance in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Reports indicate that Moroccan Hussein Amouta, the current coach of Emirati club Al Jazira, is the leading candidate to take over.
The level of the Saudi national team has fallen
The Saudi national team is in third place in the third qualifying group with 5 points after 4 rounds.
Poor performances in recent matches, including a 0–2 defeat to Japan and a goalless draw against Bahrain, sparked public discontent and demands emerged for Mancini to be sacked.
Powerful filter valve
According to the Al-Watan newspaper, Saudi Saleh Al-Mohammadi and Moroccan Hussein Amouta are considered candidates to coach the Saudi national team.
Amouta, who led the Jordanian national team to the 2023 Asian Cup final, has had great success on the Arab level, and is currently overseeing the formation of Emirati club Al-Jazeera, with a contract which extends until summer 2026.
The cost of a contract with an agent
The value of the release clause in Hussein Amouta’s contract with Al Jazeera in the Emirates is estimated at around 4 million euros. If the Saudi Al-Ittihad wants to contract with him, he will have to pay this value to end his contract with the Emirati club.
Al-Hussein Amouta
Mancini’s fate
Mancini’s contract with the Saudi national team runs until the summer of 2027, but indications are that the Saudi FA could make a decision to fire him soon, following quick meetings between Mancini and the FA president Saudi, Yasser Al-Meshal, following the draw with Bahrain.
