Saudi Pro League champion Al-Ittihad part ways with coach Espirito Santo

Riyadh, Nov 8 : Al Ittihad have parted ways with Nuno Espirito Santo, the Saudi Pro League champions said, following a poor run of results under the Portuguese coach.

Nuno was under pressure because of their struggles in the Saudi Pro League, and the club made the choice following a 2-0 defeat to Air Force Club of Iraq in the AFC Champions League 2023/24 on Monday.

The club has announced the end of its contract with Portuguese coach Nuno Santo," Al Ittihad said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"This decision comes after a comprehensive technical evaluation of the past phase during which he was in charge of coaching the first football team.

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Assistant coach Hassan Khalifa will take temporary charge while the club finalise a replacement for Nuno, the statement read.

Nuno, who enjoyed a successful spell as Wolverhampton Wanderers boss from 2017-2021, had been in charge of Jeddah-based Al Ittihad since July last year.

The former Porto coach took Al Ittihad to the Saudi title last season.

bc/