Al Ahli part company with sporting director Rui Pedro after league defeats

Al Ahli have announced the departure of sporting director Rui Pedro after the Saudi club suffered successive defeats by Al Kholood and Al Hilal in the opening rounds of the league season.

The Portuguese official has left his role by mutual agreement, with Al Ahli confirming the decision in a statement.

“Al Ahli club and Rui Pedro have mutually agreed to end his work as the club’s sporting director,” the club said.

The statement added: “The club thanks Rui for his work during his time with Al Ahli, wishing him success in the future.”

Osama Hawsawi, who had been assistant sporting director, will take charge of the role on an interim basis. Al Ahli praised Hawsawi for his contribution to the development of the club’s academy and youth teams.

Rui Pedro’s departure follows Al Ahli’s defeats by Al Kholood and Al Hilal in the second and third rounds of the Saudi league, according to Saudi newspaper Al Riyadiya. Those results have contributed to a difficult start to the campaign for the Jeddah side.

After four rounds, Al Ahli are eighth in the Saudi league table with six points. Their record stands at two wins and two defeats.

Rui Pedro was appointed sporting director of Al Ahli in October 2025, meaning he has been removed from the position before completing his first year with the club.

Before moving to Saudi Arabia, Rui Pedro held the same role at Portuguese club Benfica. His time at Al Ahli therefore ends after less than a year, with the club now turning to Hawsawi to oversee sporting operations on a temporary basis.

Al Ahli have won the AFC Champions League in the past two editions. Despite that recent continental success, the club have made changes at both sporting-director and head-coach level.

The first team is managed by Marino Pusic, who succeeded Matthias Jaissle. Pusic is now working with Hawsawi as the club seeks to respond to its early league defeats and improve its position after the opening four matches.

The club did not give any further explanation for Rui Pedro’s departure beyond confirming that the two parties had agreed to end his work by mutual consent. Its announcement focused on thanking the Portuguese sporting director for his service and confirming Hawsawi’s temporary promotion.

Al Ahli’s immediate challenge is to recover from the losses to Al Kholood and Al Hilal. With six points from four matches, the Jeddah club sit in eighth place and have recorded an equal number of wins and defeats so far this season.