Conceição backs down in the face of the storm: "I did not mean to offend the Saudi players"
What did he say?
Sergio Conceicao has moved to clarify his controversial remarks about life in the Kingdom. The former Al-Ittihad boss denies any intention to insult Saudi players or question their ability, after his reported comments on cultural and disciplinary differences within teams triggered a wave of criticism.
The Portuguese spent roughly eight months in charge at Al-Ittihad, steering the club to a fifth-place finish in the Roshn Saudi League and a berth in the AFC Champions League Elite.
His tenure brought disappointment elsewhere, though. He went out of the King's Cup to Al-Khaleej in the semi-finals, then bowed out of the AFC Champions League Elite at the quarter-final stage against Machida Zelvia.
Conceicao clarifies the truth about his remarks
Posting a statement to the stories feature on his official Instagram account, the coach explained that his comments on a podcast linked to Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport had been interpreted inaccurately.
He had answered two questions about his time in Saudi Arabia, Conceicao said, only to find his words framed as an attack on Saudi football. He insisted he had never set out to belittle local players or disrespect the Kingdom that welcomed him and his family, and for which he holds appreciation and respect.
The former Al-Ittihad coach stressed he had not called the Saudi players poor, nor cast doubt on their quality. His comments, he explained, centred on the differences between the styles of football in Saudi Arabia and Europe, and the difficulty of adapting to a new environment after 13 or 14 years working on European pitches.
His time in the Kingdom had mattered a great deal, he added, giving him the chance to learn and to broaden his understanding of athletes and how they approach the game, despite the struggle to adjust to certain aspects of the new environment.
Controversy had flared from his appearance on the La Tripletta podcast, where he spoke about the gap in commitment and professional culture between local and foreign players, and pointed to cases in which a player might miss training for family or religious reasons.
He also addressed the difficulty of adapting to the new culture and acknowledged the financial pull as one of the reasons behind his move to the Saudi league, touching too on Al-Ittihad's management relying on results and the fans' reactions on social media.
