Gallardo removes Benzema, Al-Ittihad is fed up and the coach is already on the street

He Al-Ittihad The Saudi Arabian league announced this Thursday the dismissal of Argentine coach Marcelo Gallardo (48), who arrived in November 2023. The Jeddah club has cited a controversial decision as the reason for the dismissal: having ruled out the former Real Madrid striker for the first leg of the Asian Champions League round of 16 against Navbahor Namangan of Uzbekistan.

Gallardo argued that the decision to dispense with Benzema was “purely technical”, although the relationship between the two has not been good for some time now. “He is currently training alone, after joining the team a few days ago. When he is physically and technically ready he will join the group, most likely next week,” said Gallardo, who already punished the French striker in January by excluding him from the group for an internship in Dubai for his late return for the resumption of the season.

“Today, the Ittiah club terminated the contract of its coach Marcelo Gallardo,” reads a brief text on Al-Ittihad’s X account. “The club wishes him the best for his future goals.”