logo
Pioli quits as coach of Saudi side Al Nassr

Pioli quits as coach of Saudi side Al Nassr

PARIS: Al Nassr have parted company with their Italian coach Stefano Pioli, the Saudi side announced on Wednesday.
No official reason was given for the split after only nine months in the post but Pioli's name has been linked with joining Fiorentina for a second spell in charge of the Serie A side.
"Al Nassr announces that Mr Pioli and his staff no longer coach the first team," Cristiano Ronaldo's club posted on social media.
"We would like to thank Mr Pioli and his staff for their work last season," added Al Nassr, who finished third in the Saudi Pro League.
Pioli, who guided AC Milan to the 2022 Serie A crown, only joined Al Nassr in September 2024.
Prior to his near five-year stint at AC Milan, the 59-year-old coached several other Italian sides including Fiorentina, Inter Milan, Lazio and Bologna.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tennis-Sinner plays down split with trainer and physio ahead of Wimbledon
Tennis-Sinner plays down split with trainer and physio ahead of Wimbledon

The Star

time3 hours ago

  • The Star

Tennis-Sinner plays down split with trainer and physio ahead of Wimbledon

Tennis - Wimbledon Preview - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 27, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner during practice REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge LONDON (Reuters) -Parting company with two of your team days before Wimbledon might not sound ideal but world number one Jannik Sinner has played down any negative impact as he prepares for the grass-court Grand Slam. The 23-year-old Italian surprisingly split with Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio, his trainer and physiotherapist respectively, after the Halle tournament and was asked about the situation on Saturday. "Nothing major happened. Nothing big happened. I parted ways not long ago but it's not affecting me. I feel ready to compete. I feel free. I feel me and my team, we are ready to do the best we can," Sinner, who is bidding to win his first Wimbledon title, told reporters. "We've reached incredible results in the past with them, so obviously huge thanks to them. We made some great job, but I decided to do something different." Panichi and Badio had been part of Sinner's team since September 2024 and helped him to win this year's Australian Open to take his career Grand Slam haul to three. He also reached the French Open final this month but lost a thriller to Carlos Alcaraz. "Look, in this sport things can happen. Sometimes a player feels something different, and that's my case." Sinner suffered a crushing disappointment at Roland Garros where he lost to Alcaraz having led by two sets. He won one match at Halle before losing to Alexander Bublik, but said he was mentally prepared for Wimbledon where he hopes to become the first Italian singles champion. "Honestly, I feel ready to play. I feel ready. We are practising very well. What happened in the past is in the past already," said Sinner, who faces fellow Italian Luca Nardi in the first round. "I feel good. Especially mentally I feel in a very good spot. Halle was a little bit different. Now it's gone and I see also the reactions of other players and people, they talked the level (of the French Open final) was very high. "I feel like that I'm playing great, great tennis on grass. Hopefully I can show this also in the match court." Sinner served a three-month suspension earlier this year after agreeing a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in February after authorities accepted that the anabolic agent clostebol had entered his system inadvertently via massages from his former physio Giacomo Naldi at Indian Wells in March 2024. During his time away he explored some new talents, recording a single with Italian opera great Andrea Bocelli in which he speaks his lines. While he will not be giving up the day job, Sinner said it had been great to do something completely different. "I felt like especially in these three months where I couldn't play, it was the right timing to do also the video together and everything," he said. "Obviously he's an incredible artist. Just being part of this for me was amazing. It was a big, big work, a work in progress. I think we are all very happy how it came out." (Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Clare Fallon)

Pogba joins Monaco after serving doping ban
Pogba joins Monaco after serving doping ban

New Straits Times

time3 hours ago

  • New Straits Times

Pogba joins Monaco after serving doping ban

Paul Pogba has joined AS Monaco on a free transfer after signing a two-year contract, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday, as the 32-year-old French midfielder looks to revive his career following a doping ban. Pogba was handed a four-year doping ban in February 2024 after testing positive for DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Italian club Juventus announced in November that they had mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which was due to expire in June 2026. The 2018 World Cup winner had a disappointing second spell with Juventus due to injuries after returning to the Turin-based club following his departure from Manchester United on a free transfer in 2022. Pogba was signed by United in 2016 for a then-world record fee of 89 million pounds (US$122 million) but the four-times Serie A champion won only two trophies with the Premier League club — the League Cup and Europa League in his first season. He last played for France in 2022 but knee surgery prevented him from appearing at the World Cup in Qatar. Monaco finished third behind Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain and Olympique de Marseille last season.

Tennis-Paolini prepared to sweat it out with Wimbledon braced for hot start
Tennis-Paolini prepared to sweat it out with Wimbledon braced for hot start

The Star

time6 hours ago

  • The Star

Tennis-Paolini prepared to sweat it out with Wimbledon braced for hot start

Tennis - Bad Homburg Open - Bad Homburg Tennis Club, Bad Homburg, Germany - June 27, 2025 Italy's Jasmine Paolini in action during her semi final match against Poland's Iga Swiatek REUTERS/Heiko Becker (Reuters) -Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini said on Saturday she is unfazed by forecasts of soaring temperatures at Wimbledon where last year's runner-up again carries the hopes of a nation yet to celebrate a singles champion at the All England Club. Paolini said she prefers sunny conditions and will aim to stay well hydrated in temperatures forecast to push 33 degrees Celsius. "We'll see. I like hot ... It's better when it is sunny for everybody," Paolini told reporters. "Drink a lot, I guess. That's the main thing because if the match goes long, it's tough ... In Hamburg was hot, Berlin was also hot," she said, referring to the tune-up tournaments ahead of Wimbledon. Last year during rain Paolini played under cover at Wimbledon, which has retractable roofs on Centre Court and Court number one in case of weather disruptions. "Last year I have to say I really like when the roof was closed. Still you have to play on this court to have the roof," she said. The 29-year-old Paolini, the first Italian woman in the Open Era to reach the Wimbledon final, returns to the Grand Slam with modest expectations, though she remains Italy's best hope for a Wimbledon women's singles breakthrough. Italy has also come close to a men's singles title at Wimbledon with Matteo Berrettini reaching the final in 2021. "I'm trying always to keep the expectation low. Especially on grass, everything can really happen," she said. "I don't know, just trying to focus on the first match, trying to play a good match with a good level." Paolini's 2024 season was nothing short of extraordinary, highlighted by her WTA 1000 title in Dubai and back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. In May this year, Paolini became the first Italian in 40 years to win the women's singles title in Rome. In the grasscourt swing she lost to twice Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur in her opening match in Berlin and enjoyed a semi-final run in Bad Homburg before falling to Iga Swiatek. (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store