Al-Ahli Dismisses Marino Pusic Mid-Match After 6–1 Loss

Al-Ahli’s season didn’t just hit a bump in Riyadh. It imploded.

A 6–1 hammering at the hands of Al-Shabab in the Roshn League on Friday has triggered one of the most dramatic twists of the campaign so far: head coach Marino Pusic was dismissed while the game was still being played, according to Saudi outlet Al-Maidan.

Not after the post-match inquest. Not after a late-night board meeting. During the mini-clasico itself.

A Rout and a Reaction

At the SHG Arena, Al-Shabab tore through Al-Ahli in the twelfth round of the league, turning what should have been a statement fixture into a public unravelling. As the goals piled up in Riyadh, the pressure on Pusic reached breaking point in Jeddah’s boardroom.

Al-Maidan reports that the club’s hierarchy made the call to sack the Dutchman before the final whistle had even gone, a ruthless response to a result that sent shockwaves through the Roshn League.

Ben Zekri in the Frame

The decision was not taken in isolation. Al-Ahli had already started sounding out replacements.

One name quickly moved from suggestion to serious option: Noureddine Ben Zekri. A board member proposed the Algerian coach, and, according to the same report, the club followed up with direct contact.

Ben Zekri, who has been linked with several Roshn League sides including Abha, is said to have given an initial green light to Al-Ahli’s approach and is now waiting on further negotiations. For a coach already on the radar of other Saudi clubs, the opportunity to step into one of the country’s biggest dugouts has suddenly become very real.

Conceicao Mentioned, But No Move Yet

Ben Zekri is not alone on the shortlist. Al-Maidan also named Portuguese coach Sergio Conceicao, the former Al-Ittihad boss, as another candidate floated inside the club.

At this stage, though, that interest remains theoretical. No official contact has been made with Conceicao, and Al-Ahli’s management have yet to turn that internal proposal into a concrete move.

The contrast is clear: dialogue has already begun with Ben Zekri, while Conceicao’s name sits in the “what if” column.

Pusic’s Short, Intense Spell

For Pusic, the end comes abruptly after a brief but eventful tenure.

He took over at the start of the current season, replacing German coach Matthias Jaissle, and his numbers were far from disastrous on paper: 17 matches in charge, 11 wins, five defeats, and one draw.

Those figures tell one story. The 6–1 collapse in Riyadh told another, far louder one.

In a league moving at high speed, Al-Ahli have chosen shock therapy over patience. The question now is not whether change is coming, but which coach will be trusted to steady a team that just watched its season tilt in 90 brutal minutes.