Officially.. Al-Hilal appoints Richard Hughes as sporting director

Al-Hilal have appointed Scottish Richard Hughes as the team's sporting director, following the completion of the club's board of directors, chaired by Prince Nawaf bin Saad, of the contracting procedures with him.

Hughes has officially started his duties today after arriving in Riyadh, in a move aimed at developing the football system and enhancing the sports structure within the club during the upcoming phase.

The signing of the Scottish sporting director comes as part of Al-Hilal's strategy to utilize specialized talents, focusing on improving recruitment and scouting while raising the quality of technical and administrative work.

Al-Hilal's board of directors thanked Prince Alwaleed bin Talal for covering the contracts of the sports management team, continuing his support for the club and enhancing its system with qualified personnel.

Hughes began his career as a player, where he wore the shirts of several English clubs, most notably AFC Bournemouth and Portsmouth. He also represented the Scotland national team before retiring from football.

Hughes transitioned to an administrative role after retirement, starting within the recruitment system at AFC Bournemouth before taking on the position of the club's sporting director in 2016.

In 2024, Hughes moved to Liverpool to take up the role of sporting director during a period that saw the team crowned Premier League champions for the 2024-25 season.

Al-Hilal's sports management includes Hughes, Englishman Simon Francis as the football technical director, and Scotsman Mark Bertsch as the recruitment director.

The Scottish Craig Mackie has been appointed as the head of scouting, with Englishman Harry Arter as the chief technical scout, alongside national coach Abdulhakim Al-Tuwaijri for the youth categories.

Al-Hilal hopes that the new administrative changes will contribute to the development of the football system, raise the level of work within the club, and enhance its ability to compete and achieve its sporting goals.