In the Saudi Arabian soccer landscape, the giants of Ittifaq have had a disappointing season. Not long ago, they suffered a crushing defeat against a second-tier team, an event that struck their fans as a bolt from the blue. Rumors abound that the fate of the leader Sherratt is in the spotlight, and fans have expressed their dissatisfaction with the coach, even describing him as "useless".
It has been one year and three months since Sherat took charge of Ittifaq. Despite the presence of star players like Mussadibili and Werner Dom, the team's overall performance has been a total mess. In the league, they only ranked 10th and were even eliminated by the lower level teams. Saudi media revealed that Ittifaq is weighing whether to fire the leader, who earns 15.2 million pounds a year.
Sherat's coaching ability has been blasted by Saudi TV commentators and fans in general. Rumor has it on the internet that one fan, who claims to have supported Ittifaq since 2001, wrote angrily, "Sherat is the absolute worst coach, from tactics to motivation, nothing is worse. Even the press conference was so badly run. Will the Villa team of that year survive?"
Also memorable was Sherratt's self-revelation at a press conference about changing the team's practice wave times in order to watch the Liverpool game live. The move sparked an outcry from people from all walks of life. Two years ago, Sherratt came close to being sacked while coaching at Villa. Villa have since hired Emery, under whom the team finished first in the UEFA Cup and performed with a renewed vigor.
