French coach Herve Renard, coach of the Saudi national team, submitted his resignation from his post, according to the Saudi Federation, which announced the acceptance of that resignation, stressing that he had done “the utmost that he could do with the national team.”
And the Saudi national football team published a statement on its official account on Twitter, in which it said, “The Board of Directors of the Saudi Football Association approved the request of the coach of the national team, Herve Renard, with his desire not to complete the remaining period of his contract.”
He added, “In light of this, the official legal procedures were settled between the two parties to terminate the contract. The chairman and members of the council wished him success in his next career.”
And an official in the Saudi Federation, who preferred not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media, had confirmed to France Press earlier that “Runar submitted his resignation and the Saudi Football Association accepted it,” pointing out that the friendly match against Bolivia, which he lost 1-2, on Tuesday, was “the last his match.”
He continued, “We tried to dissuade him from his decision, but he was determined to return to his country and train his country’s national team. We cannot prevent him from his dream.”
After the match, Ronard told reporters, “I would like to thank everyone in Saudi Arabia for their full support during nearly four years. The qualifiers were good, and I thank (Union President) Yasser Al-Mishal (…) Everyone was excellent with me. Don’t worry.”
He added, “I think I have done the most that I can do with the national team, and I cannot reach another level, so I prefer to be honest with everyone. And again I thank everyone, it was a wonderful time.”
The Saudi national team published a video of the French coach expressing his feelings towards the national team and Al-Ittihad and his time in Saudi Arabia after submitting his resignation.
For his part, Al-Mishal said that “five days before the start of the camp (for the Saudi national team), (Runard) asked to talk to me and sit with me, and stated that he had received an offer that he could not refuse from the French Federation, and I also received a letter from the President of the French Federation requesting permission.” Allowing the French Federation to negotiate with the coach.
“I asked him to think and not to rush, and he told me that this was his decision,” he added.
And he continued, “In the end, we consulted with the technical director and members of the board of directors, and we saw that we should fulfill his request to leave, and we cannot force anyone,” noting that it is still “too early to talk about an alternative. We will not negotiate with anyone before the end of the sports season, and any names that will be presented are just speculations.” Or attempts by agents to market coaches. We have two months until the end of the season.”
Renard, who led Saudi Arabia to a surprising victory in the 2022 World Cup at the expense of Argentina, who later won the title, had a contract with the Saudi Federation until 2027.
Renard, 54, took over Saudi Arabia’s training in July 2019 with a two-and-a-half-year contract, and extended his contract last May after a successful run in the World Cup qualifiers.
Renard did not previously work as a women’s coach, but he wrote a successful history, leading Zambia and Ivory Coast to win the African Cup of Nations in 2012 and 2015, respectively. He also trained the Moroccan national team before working in Saudi Arabia.
It is noteworthy that the French women’s national team will compete in the World Cup for women between July and August next in Australia and New Zealand.
The separation from Runar comes after the national team lost again, on Tuesday, in a friendly match 2-1 against Bolivia.
Saudi Arabia lost to Venezuela in a friendly match last Friday.
Saudi Arabia has not won a match since its 2-1 victory over Argentina at the World Cup last November in Qatar.
Saudi Arabia qualified for the Asian Cup, which will be held in Qatar in January next year. The tournament draw will be held in May.