RIYADH: The departure of a head coach who brought a nation its first football trophy in 22 years should not be the topic of discussion less than two months after that landmark victory. Yet the curious case of Georgios Donis’ status as head coach of the Saudi national team drags on, with the likes of Roberto Martinez and Carlos Queiroz touted as possible replacements ahead of his approaching contract end date.
While it would be foolish to state that Donis is the right man for the job simply for winning the Gulf Cup and beating South Korea in a friendly, the reality is that Saudi Arabia have not looked this good since they beat Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.
Donis had a tough start to life at the helm, arriving in the summer with less than two months to prepare for the World Cup. The Green Falcons opened with a draw against Uruguay but failed to follow that up, losing 4-0 to Spain and playing out a stalemate with debutants Cape Verde to crash out at the group stage.
The pressing issue was not that they were tactically or qualitatively inferior. Rather, the sheer lack of confidence in the team to attack their opponents and go for goal was the biggest issue. Donis’ gamble against Spain, where he set the team up in a 5-4-1 and allowed the world champions to run amok, was highly criticized by fans at the time.
Since then fortunes have changed for the national team. In the absence of the injured Salem Al-Dawsari came Hammam Al-Hammami, who was named player of the tournament at the 2026 Gulf Cup, which Saudi Arabia won for the first time since 2004.
In theory, that is not the level they should be satisfied with, as a first Asian Cup title since 1996 remains the main goal for the three-time continental champions. But it was the way the Green Falcons played at the tournament, and against South Korea, that reinvigorated the buoyant mood that their fans are known for.
Whether it was Mohammed Al-Owais’ heroics in goal, Abdulelah Al-Amri’s trademark grit or Saleh Abu Al-Shamat’s resurgent confidence, the fans were treated to some of the best football in years.
“Initially I had my doubts,” said fan Ahmad Ibrahim Hamad Al-Zeer. “Donis first talked about instilling a top mentality into the squad but the World Cup came and it did not look promising at all. As of now, I have to say that he has fully switched things around by learning from his mistakes when it comes to squad selection and lineups in specific games as well.”
But the news that has emerged since that Gulf Cup victory has left fans on edge.
Within 48 hours of the end of the completion, KSA Sports reported that Saudi Arabian Football Federation Executive Director Matt Crocker had agreed a deal with Martinez to take over the national team ahead of the Asian Cup, which had not yet been postponed to December 2027.
That was met with massive fan disappointment and the federation responded with a press release hours after the news broke, confirming that no decision had been made to change the coaching staff.
But Al-Riyadh reported on Tuesday that Donis’ contract was ending in two months’ time and that Queiroz was the likely option to replace him. Once again, that fueled the anger of fans who had felt they had a head coach capable of leading the team to their first Asian Cup title in over 30 years.
“Roberto Martinez and Carlos Queiroz should not even be in the conversations and names like these are examples to why we have been failing for all these years,” Al-Zeer said.
“Donis at least understands the Saudi players and what is needed from them for us to move forward. And on top of that he knows the right profiles needed for our identity which is very important in this sport.”
The Greek responded to the rumors at a press conference on Friday.
“I feel that I am part of Saudi Arabia, not just an ordinary coach, even when I was coaching clubs here,” he said.
“After the Asian Cup was postponed I told my coaching staff that our contract would expire before the tournament’s new date. Then some people started circulating the names of big name coaches and these rumors are completely unhelpful.
“The rumors do not affect me personally but they harm the dressing room. Those around us understand the scale of our work and what is being said is unfair to us.”
Speaking on “Rotana With Waleed,” TV host Waleed Al-Farraj said: “By what logic are we even considering sacking Donis? Ask someone from Alaska. Tell him the national team went 20 years without a title and 21 years without beating South Korea and that Donis did both in two months. Then ask him if we should sack the man. He’d say: ‘Who’s mad enough to sack him?’”
Al-Zeer said: “What has clearly changed is Donis is able to make tough decisions when necessary and the most important thing is integration of the youth.
“The Gulf Cup showed that we have some very talented young players coming through but managers kept on refusing to give them opportunities in the past which has hurt us in so many competitions and I hope that the previous Gulf Cup win is the start to a new era that we are building with the Green Falcons.”
While rumors of Donis’ departure appear to have been quelled for now, their emergence in some of Saudi Arabia’s largest media outlets, despite his recent successes, suggests a genuine desire to look at different options.
But at a time when the Green Falcons have finally clicked under a head coach for the first time since Herve Renard’s first stint in the Kingdom, there should be no other option than granting him full, unbridled support.
