Al-Ittihad Club of Saudi Arabia has announced the termination of the contractual relationship with the first-team coach, Laurent Blanc, and his assisting staff. The club’s board expressed its sincere thanks and appreciation for their efforts during the past period and wished them success in their future endeavors.
The club’s management has appointed Captain Hassan Khalifa as the interim technical director for the first team, to be assisted by Egan Carrasco, the head coach of the U-21 team. This interim arrangement will remain until a new coaching staff is hired that aligns with the club’s ambitions and future goals.
Blanc’s Stint and Recent Woes
Blanc, 59, joined Al-Ittihad in July 2024 on a contract set to run until 2026. His extensive managerial career includes spells at Bordeaux, Paris Saint-Germain (where he won the league title three times), and Lyon in France, as well as the French national team (2010–2012) and Al-Rayyan in Qatar (2020–2022).
During his tenure at Al-Ittihad, Blanc oversaw 46 matches, recording 35 wins, 5 draws, and 6 defeats. Notably, he led the Jeddah-based club to the League title and the King’s Cup last season.
Blanc had recently voiced his dissatisfaction with the difficult circumstances facing Al-Ittihad, particularly highlighting the defensive problems which he warned about previously but lacked solutions for due to a high number of absences, especially in the backline. He specifically mentioned the impact of the tight schedule, stating: “We play a match every three days, and most of the injuries are concentrated in the defense, which has put us in a real crisis.” Regarding the recent loss to Al-Nassr, Blanc conceded, “We faced a stronger team than us, and this is the truth.”
Home Defeat Ends Record-Breaking Run
The decision to sack Blanc follows Al-Ittihad’s 2-0 home defeat to rivals Al-Nassr in the highly anticipated “Clasico” on Friday, September 26, 2025, in the fourth round of the Roshen Saudi League for Professionals.
This loss saw Al-Ittihad surrender the top spot, which they had shared with Al-Nassr, who now lead the table with a perfect nine points. Crucially, the defeat to Al-Nassr ended a remarkable 492-day unbeaten streak at home in the Roshen League, a run that had been intact since May 23, 2024. Al-Ittihad’s last home league loss before Friday was on May 10, 2024, when they suffered a historic 5-0 defeat to Al-Ettifaq.
