Abdullah Al-Batniji, former president of Al-Ahli Club, demanded the immediate dismissal of Dutch coach Marinus Posic, holding him largely responsible for the historic loss suffered by the team against Al-Shabab Club by a score of six in the Professional League. Al-Batniji affirmed that the coach bears 70 percent of the responsibility for this defeat, pointing out that the individual decisions made by the coach were a main cause in exacerbating the crisis the team is going through.
In the same context, Al-Batniji strongly criticized the choices of foreign professionals who joined the club, describing the level of Ukrainian Artem Bondarenko as the worst among the incoming players. He pointed out that the recruitment process was not based on the team's real needs, which led to a lack of clear impact, except for the absence of Ivorian Franck Kessie, whom he considered very influential on the team's performance.
For his part, Al-Batniji called on the current management to make firm decisions to save the team, noting that time is still available to return through the remaining competitions. He added that the solution lies in finding a new coach who understands Al-Ahli's playing style without inventions, with the necessity of sitting with the players and listening to them before holding them accountable and urging them to do their best to regain the public's trust.
He pointed out that the previous management, which insisted on Posic and Matias in choosing players, bears part of the responsibility, but he stressed that the current management faces a real test. He affirmed that the loss is not the end of the road for a big team like Al-Ahli, which has previously suffered major setbacks and returned stronger, provided that strong and non-individual decisions are taken.
Al-Batniji, who held several administrative positions at the club starting from investment manager in the 2014-2015 season up to the presidency of the board of directors in 2019, clarified that regaining the team's glory requires firmness in dealing with mistakes. He noted that the substitutions made by the coach and the red card the team received increased the severity of the situation, necessitating immediate intervention from the management.
Source: Arriyadiyah newspaper
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