Saudi champions Al-Ittihad name Portugal's Conceicao as coach

VIDEO SHOWS: FILE OF PORTUGUESE FOOTBALL HEAD COACH, SERGIO CONCEICAO, AS TAKES OVER AT SAUDI ARABIA'S AL-ITTIHAD  SHOWS: CARNAGO, ITALY (FILE – DECEMBER 31, 2024) (AC MILAN – Access all) 1. THEN AC MILAN HEAD COACH, SERGIO CONCEICAO, SPEAKING AT PRESS CONFERENCE ROME, ITALY (FILE – MAY 14, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 2. STILL PHOTO OF CONCEICAO DURING 1-0 COPPA ITALIA FINAL LOSS AGAINST BOLOGNA   MILAN, ITALY (FILE – APRIL 23, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 3. STILL PHOTO OF CONCEICAO APPLAUDING FANS AFTER 3-0 COPPA ITALIA SEMI-FINAL WIN OVER RIVALS INTER   MILAN, ITALY (FILE – APRIL 20, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 4. STILL PHOTO OF CONCEICAO REACTING DURING 1-0 LOSS AT HOME TO ATALANTA IN SERIE A PORTO, PORTUGAL (FILE – APRIL 16, 2019) (REUTERS – Access all) 5. CONCEICAO ON TRAINING PITCH AS THEN PORTO HEAD COACH 6. PLAYERS TRAINING   LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY (FILE – FEBRUARY 19, 2020) (REUTERS – Access all) 7. CONCEICAO GIVING INSTRUCTIONS TO PORTO PLAYERS AT TRAINING 8. CONCEICAO TALKING TO MEMBERS TO OF HIS COACHING STAFF 9. PLAYERS JOGGING/ CONCEICAO TALKING STAFF 10. VARIOUS OF CONCEICAO WATCHING OVER WARM-UPS   GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY (FILE – SEPTEMBER 17, 2018) (REUTERS – Access all) 11. VARIOUS OF CONCEICAO TALKING TO PLAYERS IN HUDDLE 12. CONCEICAO ON TRAINING PITCH   PORTO, PORTUGAL (FILE – FEBRUARY 13, 2017) (REUTERS – Access all) 13. VARIOUS OF CONCEICAO AT PORTO TRAINING STORY: Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad have appointed Portuguese coach Sergio Conceicao on a deal running until 2028, the club said on Wednesday (October 8), replacing Frenchman Laurent Blanc who departed last month. The announcement was made in a video posted on X, featuring Conceicao saying: "I am Sergio Conceicao, I came to make history with Al-Ittihad." Blanc’s exit came a day after Al-Ittihad's 2-0 defeat to Al-Nassr in late September, which saw the defending champions slip to third in the league standings. Assistant coach Hassan Khalifa took charge on an interim basis, supported by U21 coach Ivan Carrasco. Conceicao was dismissed by AC Milan on May 29 after a disappointing Serie A campaign that ended with the club in eighth place, missing out on European competition for the first time since 2019. He had joined Milan in December and led the team to the Italian Super Cup title in his second match in charge. (Production: Conal Quinn)

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