Jesus, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, was dismissed three days after Al Hilal Acham was eliminated

May 03, 2025

Jesus, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, was dismissed three days after Al Hilal Acham was eliminated
photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association



Jesus, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, was dismissed three days after Al Hilal Acham was eliminated
Jesus, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, was dismissed three days after Al Hilal Acham was eliminated
Jorge Jesus Al Hilal was replaced three days after he was eliminated from the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE).

Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal announced the termination of his contract with Jesus on its official channel on the 3rd. The club agreed to terminate the contract with Portuguese head coach Hehus. Thank you for all the technical staff's hard work since last season. The board has decided to appoint Mohammed al-Shalhub as (interim) director'

Jesus took the helm of Al Hilal in July 2023, leading him to a world-record 34 consecutive wins a few months later. In his first season, he won the Saudi Professional League, the King's Cup, and the Saudi Super Cup. However, he entered his second season and gradually began to shake. In November last year, the league's winless game was cut for the first time in 18 months against Al Kaliz (2-3 losses). The 2-0 lead turned upside down and it was even more shocking.




Jesus, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, was dismissed three days after Al Hilal Acham was eliminated
photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association
Jesus, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, was dismissed three days after Al Hilal Acham was eliminated
photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association
He lost four games in the following 13 games. They lost back-to-back Riyadh derby against Al Nasr and championship rival Al Itihad. Former manager Leonardo Jardim was dismissed in early 2022, just weeks after winning the club's fourth ACLE championship. This means that for Al Hilal's leadership, the results of their own leagues are paramount. Al Hilal has 62 points as of the 29th round, six points behind leader Al Itihad (68 points).

Al Hilal showed off his skills by defeating K-League representative Gwangju 7-0 in the ACLE quarterfinals. Like the fight between adults and children, it overwhelmed Gwangju in all aspects, including tactics and individual abilities. Jesus' refusal to shake hands after the game made headlines as if he had Lee Jung-hyo's remarks at a press conference in advance. Manager Lee said, `Gwangju has better organizational power, either X-bar or X-barley.' However, al-Hilal suffered a 1-3 defeat in the ACLE semi-final against the same Saudi club, al-Ahli, on April 30. The game brought forward the decision of the leadership. As if he had foreseen his future after the Al-Ahli battle "When things don't go as planned, they usually look for scapegoats. The responsibility lies with me. The coach is a team-building, game-planning person."

Jesus, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, was dismissed three days after Al Hilal Acham was eliminated
Jesus, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, was dismissed three days after Al Hilal Acham was eliminated
ReutersYonhap News
Amid rumors of discord with some players since the beginning of the year, rumors have recently been raised that the next head coach of the Brazilian national soccer team will be appointed. According to 'Arab News', al-Hilal's high-ranking officials noted Jesus' continued rise to the cubic stage. Brazilian media reported that Jesus showed interest in coaching the Brazilian national team, but was angry that he was the next best option (following Carlo Ancelotti). Jesus is familiar with Brazilian soccer by leading Brazilian club Flamengo in the past.

In the end, Jesus was forced to step down after failing to lead the FIFA Club World Cup, which will be held on a large scale this summer. Another big-name coach is expected to take over, with Mohammed al-Shalhoub, a Saudi football legend and former head coach of al-Hilal, set to take over as interim head coach.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.