Fahd Sindy leaves Al-Ittihad as Saudi football ownership reshuffle begins

Al-Ittihad have ended the tenure of president Fahd Sindy, making the club the first of Saudi Arabia’s four leading sides to remove its board leader after the Ministry of Sport began transferring its shares in the clubs to the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The Saudi Ministry of Sport announced on Wednesday that the process had begun to transfer ownership of the non-profit organisations’ shares to PIF. Those organisations hold 25% of the shares in the companies operating the four major Saudi clubs.

Once the process is completed, PIF will own Al Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al Ahli in full. The boards of directors representing the non-profit organisations will then be dissolved after the necessary statutory procedures have been completed.

In the hours after the announcement, Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ahli each published statements through their official accounts. The three clubs said their company boards would remain in place for a further 90 days, starting from 17 July, although the original announcement did not specify the exact date of its publication.

The clubs said the extension was intended to allow their boards to continue managing day-to-day affairs, preserve stability and maintain the continuity of their work. It would also give them time to complete the relevant requirements and procedures.

Al-Ittihad adopted a different approach. In its own statement, the club confirmed that Sindy’s duties as president had ended following the Ministry of Sport’s decision. The club thanked him for his service during his time in the role.

Sindy had faced substantial criticism in recent months, including from Saudi media figure Waleed Al-Farraj, who had called for his departure. The criticism centred on the serious problems Al-Ittihad experienced during his leadership.

The developments are expected to lead to further changes involving the leading clubs in the Saudi Pro League. PIF is expected to begin transferring ownership of the clubs to the private sector in the next phase of the restructuring.

The latest move follows Saudi football’s broader ownership changes, which have placed the country’s most prominent clubs under the control of the state investment fund. While Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ahli have been given a temporary period of continuity for their company boards, Al-Ittihad’s immediate decision to end Sindy’s presidency makes it the only one of the four clubs so far to announce the removal of its president.

The clubs are now awaiting further decisions as the ownership process advances and the required legal and administrative steps are completed.