Saudi side Al Ittihad sacked manager Laurent Blanc on Sunday in the wake of a 2-0 defeat to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr.
Blanc’s assistant Hassan Khalifa will take over as caretaker coach until further notice, Al Ittihad announced on social media with the club third in the Saudi Pro League, three points behind Al Nassr after four games.
Blanc, 59, joined Al Ittihad in 2024 after a low key spell coaching Ligue 1 Lyon.
A standout centre back in his playing days at clubs including Marseille, Inter Milan and Manchester United, he was part of France’s 1998 World Cup winning team on home soil but missed the final after being sent off in the semi-final against Croatia.
He returned to manage France in 2010, leading them to the quarter-finals at Euro 2012 after which he was replaced by Didier Deschamps.
Despite guiding Paris Saint-Germain to three Ligue 1 titles between 2014-16 his failure to make an impact in the Champions League led to his departure in 2016.
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