The Gulf coach is on Al-Akhdar’s radar... and there are movements behind the scenes
Saudi press reports shed light on the future of Frenchman Herve Renard, the coach of the Saudi national team, in light of the recent decline in the “Green” results, before the expected qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
Al-Riyadiah newspaper reported that the name of the Greek coach Georgios Donis, the coach of Al-Khaleej Club, emerged as one of the options proposed to take over the leadership of the national team, in the event that a decision is made to leave Renard during the coming period.
The reports indicated that the name was put forward. Donis came after the criticism directed at Renard, especially after the two friendly losses to the Egyptian national team and the Serbian national team, as part of the preparations for the World Cup.
On the other hand, Denis continues his negotiations with the Gulf administration regarding extending his contract, as he discusses the features of the upcoming project, setting several demands, including strengthening the budget, supporting the team with new deals, in addition to developing the infrastructure for training.
The newspaper confirmed that the Gulf administration did not receive any official communication from the federation. The Saudi Football Association regarding the coach, who is currently spending his vacation outside the country.
At the league level, Al-Khaleej occupies tenth place in the Saudi Roshen League standings with 31 points, at a time when the Saudi national team is preparing to enter a closed preparatory camp, in preparation for competing in the World Cup, where the draw placed it in a strong group that includes the Spanish national team, the Uruguay national team, and the Cape Verde national team.
It is noteworthy that Renard took over the leadership of the Saudi national team in the period between 2019 and 2023, before returning again about two years ago, and leading them to qualify for the World Cup via the Asian playoff, in an achievement that restored confidence to the fans before the awaited global challenge.
