Al-Ittihad boss Santo in ‘dressing room spat’ with Benzema before club sacking

RIYADH: Reports have emerged of a dressing room bust up between sacked Al-Ittihad boss Nuno Santo and star striker Karim Benzema during the club’s 2-0 AFC Champions League defeat to Air Force Club of Iraq on Monday.

The Portuguese coach was dismissed by the reigning Saudi champions earlier this week following a poor run of results.

Having broken a 14-year drought to win the Saudi Pro League title last season, the Jeddah club has struggled this campaign leading to rumors of discontent in the dressing room and growing frustration among supporters.

Inconsistent results have left Al-Ittihad sitting sixth in the SPL table, 11 points behind leaders Al-Hilal.

Things came to a head on Monday night when an argument broke out between Santo and Benzema during the half-time break of the game against Air Force Club, Arabic language sports diary Arriyadiyah reported.

According to a source, the coach directed his anger during the break at the French star, telling him, “you are a great player, but it seems that you are being lazy in putting pressure on the opponent.”

Benzema reportedly said: “Don’t just talk to me, talk to the whole group.”

The response inflamed the situation, and Santo added: “You are the team leader, the players’ role model, and the most important player in it. You must take the lead and be an example for all the players.”

Arriyadiyah noted that Santo continued to direct his criticism at Benzema, who two weeks earlier had reportedly told Al-Ittihad’s hierarchy that Santo was not the right person to lead a team with big ambitions.