Stefano Pioli's brief and unhappy spell as Al Nassr manager has come to an end after the Saudi Pro League club confirmed his departure on Wednesday.
Pioli, 59, is expected to take over at Serie A side Fiorentina, who he spent six seasons with as a player in the early 1990s and previously managed between 2017-19.
The Italian enjoyed a strong first few months in charge of Nassr after taking over in September 2024, but results deteriorated as the season progressed.
Pioli won the Serie A title as boss of AC Milan before moving to Saudi Arabia. He was also named Serie A coach of the year in 2022.
“Al Nassr Club Company informs that Mr Pioli and his staff are no more the acting coaching staff of the first team. We would like to thank Mr Pioli and his staff for their dedicated work during the past season,” the club said in a statement posted to their social media channels.
Nassr finished the 2024/25 season without silverware, eventually trailing home third in the SPL and missing out on Asian Champions League (ACL) qualification – 13 points adrift of champions Al Ittihad and five behind their city rivals Al Hilal, who were second.
They were also upset by Al Taawoun in the last 16 of the King's Cup and lost the Super Cup final 4-1 to Hilal.
Worse was to come as they suffered a humiliating exit in the semi-finals of last season's ACL, dumped out by Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale in Jeddah in a match they had been heavily favoured to win.
Among the early names mentioned as a potential successor to Pioli is his compatriot Luciano Spalletti, who is available having left the Italian national team job earlier this month.
Belgian Marc Brys, currently in charge of Cameroon, has also been mentioned, while social media speculation even linked the club with a controversial move for the former Hilal coach Jorge Jesus.
Whoever takes over will seek immediate assurances over the future of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Pro League's top scorer.
Ronaldo, 40, has been the face of Saudi Arabian football since arriving in Riyadh in January 2023, but speculation over his future intensified after a cryptic social media message following Nassr’s final match of the season against Al Fateh.
“This chapter is over. The story? Still being written,” the five-time Ballon d’Or winner wrote, fuelling rumours he could move on.
The striker appeared to contradict that message in the aftermath of Portugal's Nations League victory over Spain when he hinted he would be extending his contract.
However, with less than a week remaining on his current deal, an extension is yet to be announced.
Nassr's sporting director Fernando Hierro said that the club was working hard to thrash out fresh terms.
“Ronaldo’s contract runs until June 30. We’re working to renew it so he can continue with us,” Hierro told reporters earlier this month.
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30:
- UAE bt Nepal by 78 runs
- Hong Kong bt Singapore by 5 wickets
- Oman bt Malaysia by 2 wickets
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
