Santo allegedly sacked after calling Benzema lazy

On Tuesday, Nuno Espírito Santo was dismissed by the Saudi club with which he had been crowned the champions of Saudi Arabia just last season. The team had been going through a poor run of form, with unsatisfactory results and even worse feelings across the club.

The tipping point, it would appear, was the Champions League setback in Iraq on Monday, combined with a heated argument with big star, Karim Benzema.

Saudi newspaper Al Riyadiah has revealed the heated conversation the pair had during the halftime break of that match, while they were trailing 1-0.

“You’re a great player, but it seems like you’re too lazy to press the opponent,” Nuno reportedly demanded. “Don’t just talk to me, talk to the whole group,” Benzema replied.

 “You are the team leader, the example for the players, and the most important star. You must take the initiative and set an example for all the others,” the Portuguese coach apparently followed up. The argument was said to have continued with Nuno reprimanding Benzema, who, in turn, ignored the justifications for being called “lazy.”

A few weeks ago, the former Real Madrid player allegedly suggested to the Al Ittihad board that the continuity of Espírito Santo “was hindering the progress of the team.” In other words, for Benzema, either the Portuguese coach had to go, or the team wouldn’t perform well.

Twenty-four hours after these latest events, Al Ittihad officially announced the termination of Nuno’s contract as the coach of the Arab club. The statement read as follows:

“The club has announced the end of its contract with Portuguese coach Nuno Santo. This decision comes after a comprehensive technical evaluation of the past phase during which he was in charge of coaching the first football team.

Assistant coach Hassan Khalifa will take over coaching responsibilities for the team in the interim until the procedures of appointing a new coach are finalized and the coaching staff is reorganized to align with the club’s goals and the expectations of its fans.

The club expresses its gratitude to Coach Nuno Santo for his contributions during his time with the team and wishes him success in his future endeavors.”

At the time, they were in sixth position in the Saudi Pro League, with 21 points after 12 matchdays, comprising six wins, three draws, and three losses, having scored 21 goals and conceded 10.