According to “Varzesh3,” informed sources told the newspaper “Al-Sharq Al-Awsat” that Al-Hilal has made its final decision to terminate cooperation with Jorge Jesus, the Portuguese coach of the football team. This decision was made after Al-Hilal was effectively eliminated from competing for this season’s titles, including the AFC Champions League (Elite). Accordingly, Mohamed Al-Shalhoub, Jesus’ assistant, will temporarily take charge of the team.

Currently, negotiations are underway with four prominent candidates for the new head coach position. According to “Al-Sharq Al-Awsat,” Nuno Espirito Santo (Nottingham Forest coach), Marco Silva (Fulham coach), and Massimiliano Allegri (former Juventus coach) are the three main candidates. Additionally, the Italian newspaper “Gazzetta dello Sport” has mentioned Carlo Ancelotti as another candidate to lead Al-Hilal.

Jesus took charge of Al-Hilal in the summer of 2023 with a one-year contract. After his remarkable successes in the 2023-2024 season, including winning the domestic treble (league, King’s Cup, and Saudi Super Cup), his contract was extended for another season until the summer of this year.

At the beginning of the new season, Al-Hilal managed to win the Saudi Super Cup by defeating Al-Ahli in the semi-finals and overcoming Al-Nassr in the final, also making a strong start in the Saudi Pro League. However, after the suspension of matches in December due to the Saudi national team’s participation in the Gulf Cup, this momentum was halted. Al-Hilal lost to Al-Ittihad in their first match after the break and was eliminated from the King’s Cup.

Subsequently, the failures continued. First, a defeat in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Round of 16 against Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan, although this loss was compensated in the return leg with the support of fans. However, consecutive defeats against major teams such as Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, and Al-Ahli caused Al-Hilal to fall behind in the league title race.

During this period, Al-Hilal fans repeatedly called for Jesus’ dismissal, as the team had suffered a noticeable decline in technical, physical, and psychological aspects. However, the club’s management initially ignored these requests and reaffirmed their trust in the Portuguese coach. But ultimately, after elimination from the AFC Champions League following a loss to Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal decided to officially dismiss Jorge Jesus.