Roberto Mancini, the former Italian national team coach now at the helm of Saudi Arabia’s national team, has expressed frustration over an issue that has often been debated in Italy as well: the number of foreign players in the domestic league. The Saudi team is currently going through a difficult period, having recently drawn against Indonesia and won only two of their last five official matches. Their qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup is already facing challenges. Mancini has identified one of the reasons for this poor run in the influx of foreign players who have joined the Saudi League.
In his outburst, Mancini stated, “The players of the Saudi national team must be key players with their clubs. There are too many foreigners in the league, I have 20 players sitting on the bench during their team’s matches.” In the Saudi Pro League, each team can register 10 foreign players who often dominate the rosters of various clubs. This abundance of foreign stars leaves little room for local players, who are sometimes forced to emigrate, as in the case of Abdelhamid, the new Saudi full-back for Roma.
Mancini, who was appointed as the Saudi national team coach in August 2023 after leaving his role with the Italian national team, is now calling for greater cooperation between the national team and the clubs. In addition to Indonesia, Saudi Arabia’s World Cup qualifying group also includes Japan and Bahrain.
