Al-Ittihad is facing administrative crises, especially with the resignation of the newly elected chairman, Loay Nazer, who was appointed unopposed, succeeding Anmar Al-Haili. The situation has worsened with the beginning of the preparation period for the new season, coinciding with the involvement of French star Karim Benzema, who has ignited the latest conflict with the club’s president.
The dispute between Benzema and the Al-Ittihad president arose after the latter agreed to hire Italian Stefano Pioli, the former Milan coach, to lead the team for the next season, which the French star rejected, demanding the appointment of his compatriot Christophe Galtier, the current coach of Qatari club Al-Duhail and former coach of Paris Saint-Germain. Reports indicated that Loay Nazer resigned in protest against interference in his work, as well as the involvement of Spanish Ramon Planes, the sporting director, who is also looking to implement his desires, particularly those of Benzema, who had personally agreed with Galtier to take over the position, which was rejected by the club president.
What is Benzema's response? With the onset of the recent crisis, it seems Karim Benzema wants a revolution in changes at Al-Ittihad, similar to what Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo did at Al-Nassr when he joined the team at the beginning of last year and played a significant role in the dismissal of Rudi Garcia, according to media reports. Benzema aims to have a powerful voice within the team this season, especially concerning transfers and the new coach, after the betrayal from the new club president.
He seeks to initiate a revolution at Al-Ittihad by intervening in the selection of the new head coach, just as Ronaldo did with Garcia and contributed to bringing the current Al-Nassr coach, his compatriot Luis Castro.
Ronaldo's Experience: Cristiano Ronaldo intervened to convince Al-Nassr's management to dismiss Rudi Garcia from coaching the team, arguing that he had lost control of the dressing room, and insisted on recruiting his compatriot Luis Castro, according to media reports at that time. The current Al-Nassr coach, Luis Castro, received strong support from the decision-makers at the club to continue leading the team into the new season.
Al-Nassr management reaffirmed its confidence in Castro despite his failure to win any official titles in the past season 2023-2024, where he lost the King's Cup, exited the Saudi Super Cup in the semifinal, and lost the league title to Al-Hilal. According to media reports, Castro's continuation into the new season came with the backing of Cristiano Ronaldo, who also recommended signing the coach last summer for two seasons.
Ronaldo also played a significant role in Al-Nassr signing Brazilian Alex Telles, a former player of Manchester United, during the last summer transfer window. Media reports at the time indicated that Al-Nassr's management acted to pursue the Brazilian left-back at Ronaldo's request, as they had played together at Manchester United previously.
Therefore, Ronaldo's role has not been limited to the pitch but also extends off it, including involvement in administrative matters, especially in hiring the sporting director for Al-Nassr. He intervened in selecting the sporting director after initially convincing his compatriot Miguel Ribeiro, who later declined despite the agreement between them. After Ribeiro's withdrawal, Al-Nassr hired Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro as the sporting director for the team, with reports indicating that Ronaldo was one of the reasons for Hierro's joining, having worked with him at Real Madrid when Hierro was Carlo Ancelotti's assistant during the 2014-2015 season.
