Saudi FA president resigns after World Cup exit

The president of Saudi Arabia’s Football Federation, Yasser Al-Misehal, has announced his resignation after the Green Falcons were knocked out of the World Cup in the first round.

Saudi Arabia finished bottom of Group H with two points, after two draws against Uruguay, 1–1, and Cape Verde, 0–0, and a heavy 4–0 defeat to Spain.“The failure of the national team to qualify for the next round of the World Cup is a result that falls short of all our ambitions, and I bear full responsibility for it. I offer my apologies to everyone who hoped to see our team in a better position,” he wrote on X late Sunday.“A sense of responsibility requires giving the opportunity to open a new chapter, and I have decided not to continue until the end of my current term,” he added.

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At the head of the federation for seven years, Misehal played a central role in Saudi Arabia’s successful bid to host the 2034 World Cup, a cornerstone of its strategy to diversify an economy heavily dependent on oil.

Saudi Arabia was playing in its third consecutive World Cup this year. A series of poor results in friendly warm-up matches in March had already cost French coach Herve Renard his job, bringing a second spell by Renard to an end after he returned to replace Italian Roberto Mancini.