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Al-Ahli Fans Demand Pusic's Exit After Mini-Clasico Loss
The half-time whistle at SHG Arena cut through the Riyadh night – and so did the verdict from the away end.
“Pusic out.”
No ambiguity, no hesitation. Al-Ahli Saudi’s travelling support turned on Dutch coach Marino Pusic after just 45 minutes of the mini-Clasico against Al-Shabab, their frustration spilling over as their team trudged off 3-1 down.
It had been a chaotic first half. Reduced to ten men after the 22nd minute dismissal of goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi, “the Elegant” were left clinging on while Al-Shabab carved out chance after chance. The hosts did not simply edge ahead; they swarmed forward, repeatedly prising open a defence that looked rattled from the moment the red card came out.
Al-Shabab could have scored more. They missed a string of dangerous opportunities, yet still reached the break with a two-goal cushion and all the momentum. For the Al-Ahli fans packed into the away section, that was enough.
As the players headed down the tunnel, the chant rose in unison, clear and relentless. Pusic, only months into the job, found himself at the centre of a storm.
The tension has been brewing. Sections of the Al-Ahli support had already voiced anger at the Dutchman on several occasions this season, with particular ire aimed at the signing of Ukrainian midfielder Artem Bondarenko from Shakhtar. Every misstep, every poor spell, has sharpened the scrutiny.
On paper, Pusic’s record hardly screams crisis. Since replacing German coach Matthias Jaissle at the start of the current campaign, he has overseen 16 matches in all competitions: 11 wins, four defeats, one draw. Respectable numbers for a new man bedding in ideas at a club with big expectations.
But numbers don’t chant. Crowds do.
In the heat of a Roshn League mini-Clasico, away to Al-Shabab in the Saudi capital, those expectations turned into open revolt. And for Marino Pusic, the question now is not about statistics or early-season context, but whether he can survive the sound of his own supporters calling time on his reign.
