The Saudi Arabia Football Federation has terminated the contract of Italian manager Roberto Mancini.
Mancini, 59, in charge for 13 months was appointed head coach in August 2023, after resigning as Italy coach.
However, he has struggled to solidify the team’s performances, winning just seven of his 18 matches in charge.
In the AFC 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Saudi Arabia lost 2-0 to Japan and drew 0-0 with Bahrain this month, leaving them third in Group C—outside the automatic qualification spots.
Could Herve Renard make a comeback?
On Thursday, SAFF announced the decision on X, stating that Mancini and the Federation mutually agreed to terminate the contract.
“The board of directors of the Saudi Football Federation and the coach of the national team, Roberto Mancini, reached a joint agreement today, which includes the end of the contractual relationship,” SAFF said.
Last month, media reports emerged indicating that former head coach Herve Renard could make a comeback.
The two-times (AfCON) winner with Zambia and Ivory Coast led Saudi Arabia to a shock 2-1 win over eventual World winners, Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Two early second-half goals by Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari completed the turnaround for Saudi Arabia.
Renard was in charge of the team from 2019 to 2023, with the Frenchman comfortably securing qualification to Qatar 2022.
Renard left his post in 2023 to become coach of the France women’s prior to the FIFA women’s World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand. He resigned after the 2022 Paris Olympic Games.
