On Wednesday, a Saudi newspaper revealed the details of the dispute that brought together the French international player and Saudi Al-Ittihad club star, Karim Benzema, with his former coach, Nuno Santo, as the two entered into a heated argument between the two halves of the AFC Champions League match against the Iraqi Air Force Club.
The newspaper explained,Sports“The dispute was renewed between Benzema and Santo, in the dressing room between the two halves of the team’s match against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, on Monday, where the problem began with the coach criticizing the player, saying: “You are a great player, but it seems that you are being lazy in putting pressure on the opponent.”
She added that the former Real Madrid player responded to his coach by saying: “Don’t direct the conversation only to me, but to the entire group,” making the coach angry, according to the newspaper, and he responded: “You are the team leader, the role model for the players, and the most important players on the team. You must take the initiative and be an example for all the players.”
The newspaper, citing sources from inside the locker room, indicated that the coach continued his strong criticism of the French star, adding that the player spoke to the management two weeks before the incident, and informed them that Santo continuing as coach of the team “does not meet the team’s aspirations and hinders its progress.”
On Tuesday, the Saudi club management announced the dismissal of the Portuguese coach, following a series of negative results for the team, the most recent of which was a loss to Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya with two clean goals in the Asian Championship.
Santo won the Saudi League title last year with Al-Ittihad, in addition to the local Super Cup, but he currently ranks sixth in the Saudi Championship, despite signing stars like Benzema and midfielders N’Golo Kante and Fabinho.
A crisis broke out between the player and the coach last August, after the player complained of “unprofessional treatment” he was receiving from Santo, according to the Spanish newspaper “Marca”.
Meanwhile, the Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat spoke at the time about “the escalation of the crisis between the two sides,” and sources told the newspaper that Benzema’s playing style “does not suit the coach.”
A storm in the Saudi Federation.. A crisis between Benzema and Nuno and the French international calls for a “solution”
The relationship between the Saudi Al-Ittihad team player, Karim Benzema, and the team’s coach, the Portuguese Nuno Santo, became tense after the French international complained about the “unprofessional treatment” he received from the Tigers coach, according to a report by “Marca”.
According to what the newspaper reported from sources, the Al-Ittihad coach “did not request a contract with Benzema,” while the French international revealed to the Saudi negotiator who convinced him to come to the Gulf Kingdom, “his discomfort and his feeling of being treated in an unprofessional manner by coach Santo.”
Benzema, 35 years old, is the second highest scorer in the history of Spanish Real Madrid (354 goals), a 5-time Champions League champion and the best player in the world for the year 2022. He moved to Al-Ittihad in a free transfer deal for 3 years, with an estimated salary of 200 million euros. That equates to about $214 million.
2023-11-09 04:45:15
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