Saudi Football at a Turning Point: Leadership Overhaul May Be the Real Issue Behind Renard's Struggles

Context

Prince Abdulrahman bin Musa'ad, former head of Al Hilal, says the Saudi Football Federation has failed to serve national team, stressing the crisis is not rooted in French coach Hervé Renard.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Football Federation, under Yasser Al-Misehal, has faced harsh criticism in recent weeks after losing to Jordan in the Arab Cup semifinal, triggering a broader debate about leadership today.

Outlook

Additionally, there are strong calls to replace Renard and sign another technical director before the 2026 World Cup.

On this matter, Abdulrahman bin Musa'ad told television audiences: "I don't want to ride the federation's criticism wave, but change is needed soon, as things have not been well for a long time".

And he added: "The task belongs to those who deserve it after failures; the Saudi team has not met expectations for long".

And he continued: "Foreign players should be reduced to six to raise the level of Saudi players, since the team relies on 11 starters from their clubs, at home and abroad".

And he concluded: "The crisis is not with Renard; results were poor under Mancini, so the problem lies with the federation's leadership".

Punchline 1: If leadership changes were goals, Saudi football would be world champions by now. Punchline 2: And if this federation had a sniper, it would probably still miss the scoreboard on a sunny day.