Saudi Arabian football club Al-Ittihad announced the appointment of Argentinian coach Marcelo Gallardo for a term of one and a half years.
This move follows the dismissal of Portuguese coach Nuno Espírito Santo due to a series of poor performances.
Al-Ittihad, the reigning champions, declared Santo’s dismissal ten days ago following disappointing results, notably a 2-0 loss to Iraq’s Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in the AFC Champions League.
Gallardo, who previously led Argentina’s River Plate to 14 titles over eight years before departing in 2022, left Argentina for Jeddah last Saturday.
Al-Ittihad’s official statement, released on their “X” website account, was spearheaded by club president Anmar bin Abdullah Al-Haili.
The statement announced Gallardo’s hiring, stating, “The club’s board, under the leadership of Anmar bin Abdullah Al-Haili, is pleased to announce the signing of a new technical team led by Argentinian Marcelo Gallardo to coach the first football team for a term of one and a half years.”
Gallardo is expected to lead Al-Ittihad and its French star player, Karim Benzema, in their upcoming match against Al-Ettifaq on Friday in the 14th round of the Saudi Professional League.
