Ex-Tottenham Coach, Nuno Santo Sacked By Al-Ittihad After Heated Clash With Karim Benzema

Nuno Espirito Santo has been dismissed by the Saudi Pro League team Al-Ittihad.

Al-Ittihad has managed to secure only six victories out of their 12 league matches this season, with the tipping point seemingly being a 2-0 defeat to Air Force Club of Iraq in the AFC Champions League on Monday.

This poor performance extends to just two wins in their last nine matches across all competitions, and there were reports of tensions flaring up between players and the manager.

According to Revelo reports, Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and Nuno engaged in a heated exchange of insults in the locker room following a humiliating loss to Al-Quwa Al-Juwiya.

In a statement released on X, Al-Ittihad announced: “This decision comes after a comprehensive technical evaluation of the past phase during which he was in charge of coaching the first football team.”

Nuno had been at the helm of Al-Ittihad since July 2022, taking the position eight months after his departure from Tottenham.

During his time with the Saudi club, he suffered defeat in only eight out of 56 total games in charge.

There are also indications that Al-Ittihad might consider hiring a French manager to placate Benzema, with Laurent Blanc being one of the potential candidates. Blanc previously worked closely with Benzema during his tenure as the head coach of the French national team from 2010 to 2012.