Stefano Pioli leaves position as Al Nassr head coach
Former AC Milan manager Pioli joined the club three matches into the 2024-25 SPL campaign, succeeding Luis Castro who had guided the team to one win and two draws in the season's opening weeks.
The move came just less than four months after Pioli had stepped down from his role as Milan's head coach, following a near-five year spell which saw him guide the club to a first Scudetto in 11 years in 2022. He also led Milan to the Champions League semi-final in 2022-23, where they eventually suffered a 3-0 aggregate defeat to city rivals Inter.
Al Nassr, who boast the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jhon Duran, Sadio Mane and Aymeric Laporte in their squad, finished third in the Saudi Arabian top-flight last season with 70 points from 34 matches — 13 points behind champions Al Ittihad.
The club also confirmed the departure of Pioli's backroom staff: 'We would like to thank Mr Pioli and his staff for their dedicated work during the past season,' said an Al Nassr statement.
Pioli has vast experience in coaching Italian clubs with stints at Fiorentina, Inter, Lazio and Bologna in the past 14 years.
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Since his departure from Milan, the club have dismissed their two subsequent appointments, Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao. The Serie A giants finished eighth in the Italian top-flight last season and will not play European football next season. Massimiliano Allegri will lead Milan into the 2025-26 season.
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