Al-Ettifaq Football Club backroom staff
We hold the names of 26 people on Al-Ettifaq Football Club's staff for 2025/26, beyond the players. Saad Al-Shehri manages the first team, with Ian Foster as assistant manager. Al-Ettifaq Football Club's is the 7th longest staff list of the 19 Saudi Pro League clubs we hold.
Coaching staff
The manager, the assistants and the coaches at every level of the club, 8 people
| NAME | ROLE | TEAM | AGE | NATIONALITY | PREVIOUSLY AT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saad Al-Shehri | Manager | First team | 45 | Saudi Arabia | - |
| Khaled Al-Malki | Manager | Under-21s | 48 | Saudi Arabia | - |
| José Mataix | Manager | Under-19s | 31 | Spain | - |
| Michael Lamey | Manager | Under-19s | 45 | Netherlands | - |
| Ian Foster | Assistant manager | First team | 48 | England |  |
| Andy Firth | Goalkeeping coach | First team | 28 | England | - |
| Aymen Djedidi | Fitness coach | First team | 39 | Tunisia |  |
| Mahmoud Elsersy | Fitness coach | Under-18s | 32 | Egypt | - |
Medical and sports science
Doctors, physios and sports scientists, 1 person
| NAME | ROLE | AGE | NATIONALITY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kopano Melesi | Head of sports science | 34 | South Africa |
Scouting and analysis
Scouts, recruitment analysts and performance analysts, 6 people
| NAME | ROLE | TEAM | AGE | NATIONALITY | PREVIOUSLY AT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Spring | Chief scout | Club-wide | 31 | England |  |
| Mishal Al-Mulla | Head performance analyst | Club-wide | 26 | Saudi Arabia | - |
| Billel Arab-Chaaba | Performance analyst | First team | 31 | Algeria | - |
| Miguel Sánchez | Performance analyst | First team | 42 | Spain | - |
| Mosaab Al-Ahmad | Performance analyst | First team | 44 | Saudi Arabia | - |
| Omar Darwish | Performance analyst | Under-18s | 32 | Egypt | - |
Football management
The people who run the football side, from the sporting director to the academy, 1 person
| NAME | ROLE | AGE | NATIONALITY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mário Leão | Head of youth development | 44 | Portugal |
Owners and directors
Who owns Al-Ettifaq Football Club and sits on its board
| NAME | ROLE | AGE | NATIONALITY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samer Al-Misehal | Chair | 44 | Saudi Arabia |
| Abdulrahman Al-Abdulqader | Director | 40 | Saudi Arabia |
| Bader Al-Saleem | Director | 37 | Saudi Arabia |
| Bassel Al-Bassam | Director | 44 | Saudi Arabia |
| Fahad Al-Dabbal | Director | 40 | Saudi Arabia |
| Hamad Al-Awad | Director | 33 | Saudi Arabia |
| Hatim Al-Misehal | Director | 46 | Saudi Arabia |
| Mohammed Al-Adwan | Director | 39 | Saudi Arabia |
| Mutaz Al-Oraini | Director | 34 | Saudi Arabia |
| Omar Bakhashwain | Director | 62 | Saudi Arabia |
Backroom staff at every Saudi Pro League club
The names we hold at each club in the division, 2025/26
Al-Ettifaq Football Club's list is the 7th longest of the 19, against a median of 19 across the division. Al-Qadsiah Football Club names the most, 66. Al-Faisaly Football Club names the fewest, 7.
Al-Ettifaq Football Club against the Saudi Pro League, department by department
Names held in each department, beside the average and the most at any one club
| DEPARTMENT | AL-ETTIFAQ FOOTBALL CLUB | AVERAGE | MOST | AT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coaching | 8 | 8 | 24 |  |
| Medical and sports science | 1 | 3 | 8 |  |
| Scouting and analysis | 6 | 4 | 21 | |
| Football management | 1 | 1 | 2 |  |
| Owners and directors | 10 | 7 | 14 | |
Backrooms the size of Al-Ettifaq Football Club's, in every league
Al-Ettifaq Football Club's 26 names make the joint 410th longest staff list of the 815 clubs we hold one for
| # | CLUB | LEAGUE | STAFF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 389 |  | Primeira Liga | 27 |
| 389 | Racing White Daring Molenbeek Brussels | Belgian Challenger Pro League | 27 |
| 389 |  | Belgian Challenger Pro League | 27 |
| 389 | Samsunspor A.Ş. | Süper Lig | 27 |
| 389 | SK Brann | Eliteserien | 27 |
| 389 |  | Bundesliga | 27 |
| 389 |  | - | 27 |
| 389 | Zhejiang FC | Chinese Super League | 27 |
| 410 |  | Eredivisie | 26 |
| 410 |  | Russian Premier League | 26 |
| 410 | | Saudi Pro League | 26 |
| 410 |  | J1 League | 26 |
| 410 |  | League One | 26 |
| 410 |  | Liga MX | 26 |
| 410 |  | Liga MX | 26 |
| 410 |  | Liga MX | 26 |
| 410 |  | Chinese Super League | 26 |
| 410 |  | Brasileirão Série A | 26 |
| 410 | Esporte Clube Vitória | Brasileirão Série A | 26 |
| 410 |  | - | 26 |
| 410 |  | - | 26 |
Where Al-Ettifaq Football Club's staff come from
9 nationalities across the 26 staff whose nationality we hold
Saudi Arabia supplies 14 of the 26, 54%. The median age is 40. The oldest is Omar Bakhashwain, director, at 62, and the youngest Mishal Al-Mulla, head performance analyst, at 26. 3 members of staff came from another club.
Where Al-Ettifaq Football Club's former staff work now
On Al-Ettifaq Football Club's staff in an earlier season and at another club in 2025/26, 4 people
| NAME | ROLE NOW | NOW AT |
|---|---|---|
| Arthur Papas | Manager |  |
| Dean Holden | Coach |  |
| Ray Shearwood | Coach |  |
| Moaath Al-Ohali | Director | Neom Sports Club |
Frequently asked questions
Who is Al-Ettifaq Football Club's manager?
Saad Al-Shehri is the Al-Ettifaq Football Club first-team manager, aged 45. Ian Foster is the assistant manager.
Who is the goalkeeping coach at Al-Ettifaq Football Club?
Andy Firth coaches the Al-Ettifaq Football Club first-team goalkeepers.
Who is Al-Ettifaq Football Club's chief scout?
Thomas Spring is chief scout at Al-Ettifaq Football Club.
How many backroom staff do Al-Ettifaq Football Club have?
We hold the names of 26 people on Al-Ettifaq Football Club's staff for 2025/26: 8 in coaching, 1 in medical and sports science, 6 in scouting and analysis, 1 in football management and 10 owners and directors. That is the 7th longest list of the 19 Saudi Pro League clubs we hold, against a median of 19. Across every league we hold, that list is the joint 410th longest of 815.
Where to next
For what Al-Ettifaq Football Club pays its squad, see Al-Ettifaq Football Club player wages. The first-team manager has a page of their own: Saad Al-Shehri. What each of these jobs pays across football is on backroom staff wages. Every club in the division is on Saudi Pro League wages.