Overview

• Al-Ittihad announced the termination of Laurent Blanc and his staff in an official communiqué the day after the league loss to Al-Nassr.
• Assistants Hassan Khalifa and Ivan Carrasco were named to take temporary charge while the club conducts its search.
• The team sits third in the Saudi Pro League after opening with three wins before the defeat in the fourth round.
• Blanc leaves roughly a year after his July 2024 appointment, having guided Al-Ittihad to the league title and the King’s Cup last season.
• A claim that Karim Benzema influenced the decision was publicly denied by an Al-Ittihad spokesperson, who said the board made the call.