Saudi Ministry of Sport dissolves boards at Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli

The Saudi Ministry of Sport has dissolved the boards of directors at four of the country’s leading football clubs: Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli.

The decision was announced in a statement from the ministry, which also confirmed that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) will take ownership of the shares held by the clubs’ non-profit institutions.

Those shares represent 25% of the ownership of each club. The move forms the second stage of the process to transfer ownership of the four sides, according to the ministry.

The statement said the latest step was part of the wider transition towards an ownership model designed to strengthen the clubs’ investment appeal.

The announcement comes as the new Saudi Pro League season gets under way. The campaign began on 13 August, with all of the opening round’s matches now completed.

Al Ahli started the season with a 1-0 away victory against Al-Diriyah. Al Hilal also began with a win, beating Al-Faisaly 4-2, while Al Nassr defeated Al Fateh 3-0.

Al Ittihad, however, were held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Kholood. That result represented the club’s first setback in its pursuit of the title.

The four clubs named in the ministry’s announcement are among the teams involved in the ownership-transfer process. The latest decision concerns the boards of directors, while the transfer of the 25% stakes held by the non-profit institutions to the PIF marks the next phase of the structural changes.

The ministry’s statement linked the process to efforts to develop a model capable of increasing the clubs’ attractiveness to investors. It did not provide further details about the replacement boards in the announcement.

On the pitch, the opening results produced a winning start for three of the four clubs affected. Al Ahli secured the narrowest of victories away from home, Al Hilal recorded a two-goal success after scoring four times, and Al Nassr also opened with a three-goal performance.

Al Ittihad were the only one of the four sides to drop points in the first round. Their draw with Al-Kholood means they have already experienced an early interruption to their title challenge, while Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ahli began the new campaign with victories.