Lawyer Drops a Bombshell: The Hidden 'Challenge Clause' in Sergio Conceicao's Al-Ittihad Deal
13 October 2025
Clause Dilemma: The Fine Print in Conceicao's Al-Ittihad Deal
Sports attorney Ahmed Al-Ameer revealed a surprising detail about the so-called "challenge clause" in Portuguese coach Sergio Conceicao's contract with Al-Ittihad, who took charge after Laurent Blanc.
Al-Ameer explained on X that the contract reportedly included a unilateral termination clause if Al-Ittihad failed to finish in the league's top three this season.
He added that legally the clause is invalid and cannot be invoked before the Players' Status Committee and CAS.
Coaching Change, Staff and the Winter Window
The club moved to fire French manager Laurent Blanc after a 2-0 loss to Al-Nassr and formalized the appointment of Sergio Conceicao for two and a half years, bringing a full technical staff of six assistants: Joao Costa, Siramana Dembele, Fabio Mora, along with goalkeeping coaches Diamantino Figueiredo and Fidran Ronghi, and performance analyst Eduardo Oliveira who will prepare technical reports.
The union's "secret weapon" bonuses remain. According to the newspaper Al-Riyadhiya, the management has continued the same bonus structure this season. Bonuses are paid after every five games based on league position, and are awarded to the top three teams with the amount tiered to their place.
Al-Ittihad currently sits third in the Saudi Pro League with 9 points, after three wins against Akhdoud, Al-Fateh and Al-Najma, and one defeat to Al-Nassr.
Winter transfer window: Conceicao told the club he wants to strengthen in January to address recent results and rebalance the squad.
The Portuguese coach seeks high-caliber signings to implement his tactical and competitive ideas on the field, and a wide-sweeping overhaul is expected, with departures of several domestic and foreign players based on the new technical staff's assessment.
Raikovic's Injury Update: The Serbian goalkeeper Bridraj Raikovic will not be prevented from returning to action when the league resumes after the FIFA break, as the injury is minor.
He had suffered a thigh muscle injury during the country camp, which sidelined him for about a month. He returned to play in the late stages of the season, and helped lead the club to success in the King Salman Cup final on May 30.
After the season, Raikovic underwent surgery to recover, causing him to miss the semi-final of the King Salman Cup and the opening league game. He returned for the second match of the restart and resumed regular duty until season's end.
Additionally, Conceicao received good news when Houssam Aouar and Hassan Kandoush were confirmed fit to face Al-Fayha in Round 5 of the Roshen.
Punchline 1: If football contracts had more clauses than a tax form, every transfer would come with a sticker: “Do not read after midnight.”
Punchline 2: And if the fine print mattered as much as the actual play, we’d all be paying tickets to read the footnotes instead of watching the match.
