SAUDI PRO LEAGUE
Neymar ‘demands’ Al-Hilal sacking after coming close to ‘physical altercation’ with manager
It looks like Al-Hilal forward Neymar is already causing lots of drama in Saudi Arabia.
Signed by the Saudi Pro League side from Paris Saint-Germain in August, the Brazilian superstar is yet to score for his new club.
Neymar is a world-class talent – one of the best players ever – but his off-field baggage negatively impacts how he is perceived.
PSG were more than happy to offload the 31-year-old this summer as the club’s hierarchy looked to enter a new era with player power now a thing of the past.
Despite a stuttery to the season, the atmosphere at the Parc des Princes seems better.
Meanwhile, in Riyadh, Neymar has decided to bring all of his drama over to the Middle East, according to reports.
Sport Italia says Neymar feels unhappy in Saudi Arabia and had a major clash with his manager Jorge Jesus after the Asian Champions League match against Uzbekistani outfit Navbahor Namangan.
The Portuguese coach apparently criticised the 31-year-old for his bad attitude, which the player took exception to, asking the Al-Hilal bosses to sack Jesus.
As per Foot Mercato, the Italian outlet and ‘several’ publications in Saudi Arabia have reported the clash between Jesus and Neymar.
Player power could be Jesus’ downfall, with talks already taking place between the club’s management and the Portuguese’s agent, who has warned his client that he could be sacked.
Reports suggest that Neymar wants to reunite with his former Brazil head coach, Tite.
A report from Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo says Jesus and Neymar were very close to a ‘physical altercation’ following the match against Navbahor, which led to the player ‘demanding’ his boss gets the boot.
Unbeaten in the Pro League with five wins from their opening seven games, Jesus has been ‘warned’ by the Al-Hilal hierarchy. The game’s gone.
-Football365
Former Super Eagles’ coach, Jose Peseiro is on the line to coach Saudi Arabia Pro League first tier team, Al Riyadh.
Information from the oil rich country indicate that Peseiro who had previously coached the Saudi Arabia national team is one of the two being considered to replace Odair Hellmann at the Saudi club which placed 14th at the end of last season.
It is gathered that Peseiro has a competitor in Spanish cooach, Javier Pereira who is also lineup for the job.
Peseiro had previously managed Al Hilal in 2006 and later coached the Saudi national team during their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Al Nasr’s Cristiano Ronaldo capped his first full Saudi Pro League season in style as he broke the record for the most goals scored in one campaign on Monday.
The Portuguese 39-year-old scored a brace in his side’s 4-2 win over Al Ittihad on the final matchday to bring his league tally this season to 35 goals.
The previous record was held by former Al Nasr forward and Moroccan international Abderrazak Hamdallah, who scored 34 goals in 2018-19.
Ronaldo, who played for Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, joined Al Nasr in January 2023.
-Reuters
Undefeated Al-Hilal won a record-extending 19th Saudi Pro League title on Saturday with a 4-1 victory over Al-Hazem to reclaim the trophy from Al-Ittihad who won it last season.
Jorge Jesus’ side hold a 12-point advantage over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in second with three matches remaining.
Aleksandar Mitrovic gave Al-Hilal the lead from the penalty spot after 15 minutes but Faiz Selemani netted the equaliser for Al-Hazem in the 34th minute.
However, Jesus’s side took the lead again with an own goal from Ahmed Al-Juwaid in the 39th minute.
Mitrovic scored again in first-half stoppage time and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored three minutes later to make it 4-1.
Al-Hilal are chasing the treble having clinched the Saudi Super Cup title in April, and having reached the Saudi King’s Cup final where they will play Al-Nassr.
-Reuters
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