Al-Ittihad, the reigning champions of the Saudi Pro League, fired former Tottenham player Nutu Santo on Tuesday due to his lackluster performance in the domestic competition and the Asian Champions League.
On Monday, in the Asian Champions League, the team was defeated by the Iraqi Air Force Club after winning just six of twelve games this season in the Saudi Pro League.
After being fired by Tottenham in July 2022, Nuno assumed leadership of Al-Ittihad. Under his leadership, the group won two domestic championships, one of which was the Saudi Pro League.
Hassan Khalifa, an assistant coach, will assume interim leadership of the team.
The coach allegedly had a strained relationship with team captain Karim Benzema, and there were multiple accounts of altercations between the coach and Benzema.
Al-Ittihad issued the following statement: “The club has declared that Portuguese coach Nuno Santo’s contract will expire.
“This decision comes after a comprehensive technical evaluation of the past phase during which he was in charge of coaching the first football team.”