Fahd Sindi, the president of the Saudi Al-Ittihad Club, revealed the behind-the-scenes details of the departure of the French duo Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante from the team during the last winter transfer window, confirming that these events prompted the management to completely revise their plans.

Sandy clarified in statements on the club's official website that Benzema's departure to Al-Hilal Saudi Club was not planned. The strategy was based on signing a young foreign striker under 21 to support the attack alongside Benzema, in addition to a foreign defender and a Saudi defender to strengthen the team for the Asian championship.

He added that Kante's move to Turkish club Fenerbahce in exchange for the arrival of Moroccan Youssef En-Nesyri came as one of the direct consequences of Benzema's departure, which forced the management to conduct quick negotiations in the final hours of the transfer window.

Sindi pointed out that heated events have become part of the nature of the sports scene, and that any event involving the Al-Ittihad team receives widespread attention and strong reactions.

He added that the management never considered resigning at any point, given the clarity of the work plan with the board of directors since the beginning of the season, emphasizing that any differences were solely related to perspectives on certain decisions.

The club president spoke about the decision to change the coaching staff, explaining that it came after evaluating the team's summer camp, which was not up to the required standard according to the sports management's report. This led the board of directors to vote to select the Portuguese coach Sergio Conceição based on the sports management's recommendation.

Sindi concluded his remarks by emphasizing that the management handles any disputes between the coach and some players professionally, considering it a natural occurrence given Conceição's strictness regarding discipline and schedules. There is also a monthly evaluation of the coach's performance and continuous documentation of the results.