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A big shock for the Greek coach after saying goodbye to the World Cup
Saudi Arabia’s exit from the group stage of the 2026 World Cup was not only the result of a technical decline, but also opened the door to many questions about the decisions made by Greek coach Georgios Donis from the first day of his job.
Before the start of the tournament, the coach faced widespread criticism for his selection of the final squad, and then this criticism was doubled for the way the matches were officiated, until many began to believe that Al-Akhdar lost most of his chances due to technical decisions that did not work out.
Although Donis took over the job shortly before the World Cup, that didn’t stop fans and pundits from holding him accountable, especially as he overlooked names in their prime while retaining players who were far from their true level, which was reflected throughout the team’s appearance and performance.
Barring the brilliant…the start that sparked controversy
After the squad list was released, Donis’ selection was questioned after he decided to leave out a number of players who had excelled in the Saudi Roshan League.
Hatan Bahbari led those names, after being one of Al-Khulood’s most popular and influential players in attack, as many felt the player deserved a real chance with Al-Akhdar, especially given the national team’s lack of a difference-making player in the final third.
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The exclusion of Al-Ahly pair Saleh Abu Al-Shamat and Zakaria Hawsawi also sparked a new wave of criticism, especially as the pair performed well for the team last season, while the list included names that did not feel at their best technically, leaving fans to wonder what criteria the coach used to select his list.
Substitutions without chances… Why was Donis late?
The criticism did not stop at the selection of the squad, but rather extended to the management of the matches, with Donis seemingly unwilling to use elements from the bench, despite the team’s obvious suffering at an attacking level.
Sultan Mandash, adept at dribbling and breaking defensive blocks, didn’t get a real chance until the last match, despite Al-Akhdar’s lack of individual tackles against Uruguay and Spain.
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Ayman Yahya, Saleh Al-Shehri and Ziad Al-Juhani were also left out for long periods despite the team’s need for players with speed, vitality and the ability to change the tone of the game, which made changes late and in many cases more difficult after the game.
A number of observers believe that Donis lacked the courage to read matches and stepped in too late to correct mistakes, giving the substitutes limited minutes that were not enough to make a difference.
Assert out-of-service names
On the other hand, the Greek coach has continued to rely on a group of players who have been heavily criticized due to a decline in performance during the season, without making any real changes to the starting line-up.
Salem Al-Dossari continued to lead the attack through the first two games, despite being far from his usual form, and Dennis did not decide to replace him until the match against Cape Verde after public and media pressure.
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Abdullah Al-Khaibari also kept his place in the starting line-up, despite suffering in the build-up to the game and frequent back-passes, which directly affected the speed of the offensive transitions and caused the team to lose the ability to get the ball out properly.
As for Hassan Timbukti, the coach continued to rely on him despite picking up an injury before the Cape Verde game, before he left the field after just half an hour with a sore foot, confirming the decision to bring him on was a poor one.
In the end, the crisis for the Saudi Arabian team was not only in the results, but in a series of technical decisions that began before the start of the tournament and continued until the final whistle.
Between ruling out deserving players, delaying the introduction of substitutes and insisting on names that didn’t add value, Al-Akhdar took himself out of the World Cup early, with Donis’ selection becoming one of the most controversial after the tournament.
