Few in the football world have made such a glaring mistake in the past two years as Saudi Arabia did with their choice of head coach. Mistakes are common in football, but not everyone receives $25 million per year to lead a national team. Roberto Mancini has turned out to be perhaps the most overpaid figure in football in 2024, as he has effectively “ruined” the Saudi Arabian national team. What was once a squad that defeated Argentina at the World Cup, held their own against Poland and Mexico (despite losing), and routinely qualified for the World Cup, has now become a team under Mancini that struggles to beat Bahrain, Indonesia, and Tajikistan, and even suffers losses to Jordan.##NAJAVA_MECA_8424420##Mancini’s dismal results have jeopardized Saudi Arabia’s World Cup qualification, despite their previous record of consistently making it to the tournament back when Asia had only five slots. Now, with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) having nine spots available for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, failure seems imminent. The notion that Mancini will “pay the price” is symbolic, as the federation is contractually obliged to pay him all $25 million for the second year of his contract, which he has already entered (even though it’s only been two months). Mancini is likely to be dismissed (pending approval from the King, who must endorse the federation’s sporting decision), and Hervé Renard is expected to return. The Frenchman, who was paid ten times less, achieved far better results than Mancini. Now, the Saudis are eager to rekindle their relationship with the only coach to have won the Africa Cup of Nations with two different teams (Zambia and Ivory Coast). There are also whispers, albeit quieter, about Argentine Ramón Díaz, currently coaching Corinthians, as a potential candidate for the vacant role.Roberto Mancini finding things difficult in Saudi Arabia – he shouted at the crowd to f*** off…..pic.twitter.com/a53jp8STEp— Italian Football News 🇮🇹 (@footitalia1) October 16, 2024 Mancini will be remembered for numerous blunders. He criticized the local clubs’ policy of buying foreign stars, arguing that it reduced the influence of national team players in their clubs. On January 30, he left the field entirely before the end of a penalty shootout in the Asian Cup Round of 16 match against South Korea. During that shootout, Mancini demanded the referee allow a retake of Sami Al-Najei’s penalty, believing that the player missed because the goalkeeper left the line too early. He then walked off the field but later apologized for his behavior.Roberto also clashed with journalists at a press conference following a 2-0 loss to Japan in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match. When a Japanese reporter questioned the discrepancy between his salary and the quality of his work, Mancini responded by inviting the reporter to check his bank account. After the final whistle of his last match, he also reacted poorly to comments from the crowd, making unprofessional gestures towards the stands.”We are the stars, not you”When everything is taken into account, one thing is clear: Mancini will leave Saudi Arabia $50 million richer, but with a tarnished reputation in the football world — not just because of the poor results, but because of his behavior on the sidelines and his approach to the media. Judging by his performance, perhaps even a bag of dates would be too much of a thank-you gift for his (mis)management.
