Spanish Ramón Planes, the sporting director of Al-Ittihad Club, revealed the details of the difficult decision made by the management to dismiss the French coach Laurent Blanc at the start of the season, emphasizing that the daily experience within the club made the step painful but necessary.

Planes said in his statements to MBC Action channel: "Firing Blanc was one of the toughest decisions in my career. We experienced the training sessions and matches with him on a daily basis, which made the decision extremely difficult."

The sporting director explained that the management has come to the conclusion that the team urgently needs technical improvements, noting that the circumstances the club has gone through necessitated taking a decisive stance.

He added: "We are well aware of what Blanc contributed last season, but we have reached a point where we have no choice but to make changes and fix some fundamental issues within the team."

Regarding the selection of Portuguese coach Sérgio Conceição to lead Al-Ittihad, Planes confirmed that the management was looking for a technical figure capable of restoring enthusiasm and spirit to the team.

He said: "Our goal was to sign a coach who would revitalize the team and restore the competitive spirit, and we found that Conceição is the most suitable for the nature of this phase," emphasizing that the team is progressing according to the new technical plan.

Planes concluded his speech by emphasizing that Conceição's task is not easy, especially since he arrived mid-season, explaining that any new coach needs time to build understanding with the players.

He added: "Making a change mid-season makes the task more difficult, but we are seeing gradual improvement and strive to continue in order to achieve our goals and win championships."