RIYADH — The 2017 AFC Asian Cup will be a prized objective for Roberto Mancini, the new head coach of the Saudi Arabian national football team.
This comes after he formally committed to leading the Saudi national squad until 2027 on Monday by signing a contract with Saudi Football Federation President Yasser Al-Misehal.
"Winning the Asian Cup is our goal," Mancini stated at a press conference in Riyadh. Despite being aware that there are many excellent teams in the event, we will play four friendly matches and have 20 days to prepare.
Hervé Renard, a Frenchman who left the Saudi team after three years, will be replaced by Mancini, a former coach of the Italy national team. In response to being selected for the position, Mancini said, "I am proud to lead the team."
Al-Misehal added that "everyone realizes the importance and sensitivity of this topic, which is why we took a bit longer to settle the coach's hiring. It deserved the required amount of time to be resolved in a unique manner.
"We are proud of successfully attracting global coaching talent—a coach who has accomplished much and still has a strong passion for the game," he continued. The negotiations went smoothly and quickly.
The next ten days, according to Mancini, are essential. He said, "We will assess the players, and we have also been watching many club matches in recent days."
When asked about the goals for the Saudi national team after his hiring, Mancini responded, "I'm not a magician. With excellent labor and exceptional talents, we can accomplish our objectives.
We have good players, and the former coach did a tremendous job, he continued. We need to put our discussions into practice on the field in the upcoming term.
Mancini commented on the World Cup encounter between the Saudi squad and Argentina by saying, "The goals were fantastic, and the Saudi national team displayed a remarkable performance in that match."
In his closing statement, Mancini said, "We want to be among the best teams in Asia and create a fantastic environment for us and the players."
Mohamed Ameen, who served as previous coach Renard's assistant, will continue in his position with the national squad, according to Al-Misehal.
Al-Misehal confirmed that "Romarinho is a remarkable player, and the citizenship issue is within the purview of other specialized authorities" with regard to the rumors surrounding the Brazilian Romarinho and the potential for him to be awarded Saudi citizenship. Right now, there is nothing.
In addition, he said, "Whenever we see this matter, with the approval of the relevant authorities, we can consider it."