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. Al-Nassr FC 3–2 Al-Duhail SC, Asian Champions League 2023–24: Anderson Talisca’s Hat-Trick Helps Al-Nassr to Victory over Red Knights as Cristiano Ronaldo Rested.

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."

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.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 08, 2023 04:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).