Houcine Ammouta, who currently holds the position of coach at Al-Jazi, is among the potential candidates to take the reins of the Saudi national team, in the event of the dismissal of Italian Roberto Mancini.
Mancini faces an uncertain future after a series of three disappointing results: draws against Bahrain and Indonesia, followed by defeat to Japan. The Saudi team is currently in third place in its group in the final stages of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, with a total of 5 points.
To release Ammuta from his current contract with Al-Jazeera, the Saudi Federation will have to pay a release clause estimated at around 4 million euros. Although Mancini’s contract with the Saudi team extends until the summer of 2027, recent meetings between Mancini and Saudi FA president Yasser Al-Misehal point to an imminent decision on his departure.
As a reminder, Ammuta recently left the Jordanian team in the summer. The Moroccan was in full negotiations with AS FAR but the offer from Al Jazira seemed more attractive for the Moroccan.
Ammuta achieved a historic feat with the Jordanian national team by securing second place at the 2023 Asian Cup, in addition to advancing to the decisive round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and topping his group with merit.
During his career, Ammuta won numerous titles, including the Moroccan championship and the CAF Champions League with Wydad of Casablanca, as well as the CAF Confederation Cup with Fath Union Sport of Rabat. He also led Morocco to victory in the African Cup of Nations for local players and won the Sheikh Jassim Cup with Qatari club Al-Sadd.
Morocco
