Saudi Arabia has reappointed Herve Renard, a Frenchman, as their manager, replacing Roberto Mancini, as announced by the Gulf country’s national team on Saturday.
Renard, who previously held the position from 2019 to 2023, takes over from Mancini, an Italian who left the role on Thursday after mutually agreeing to do so, following his 14-month tenure. In a video shared on the Saudi national team’s X social media account, Renard, dressed in Saudi traditional attire, exclaimed, “I am back.” The team stated that his contract will run until the end of 2025, with the option to extend it for the 2027 Asian Cup. Renard had left his position with Saudi Arabia to lead France’s women’s team at the World Cup and the Paris 2024 Olympics. In the video, he expressed, “I did not have any intention to leave. However, when your country calls upon you, you must respond.” During his previous stint, he guided Saudi Arabia to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they surprisingly defeated eventual champions Argentina in their opening match. The Frenchman concluded by saying, “I have not finished my story with Saudi yet. And I am grateful to be back.”
He will resume his duties with the Saudis on 27th October, starting his second stint with the team as they face Australia and Indonesia in their next World Cup qualifiers in November, according to the team’s announcement. Saudi Arabia currently sits in third place in Group C of Asia’s third round of World Cup preliminaries, accumulating five points. They are trailing group leaders Japan by five points after four matches. On 10th October, they suffered a 2-0 defeat at home against Japan, followed by a scoreless draw against Bahrain five days later.
The top two teams from each group will automatically advance to the World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams will enter another round of preliminaries, with the two bottom finishers being eliminated.
