DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia – Steven Gerrard ya bar mukaminsa a matsayin kocin Al-Ettifaq bayan shekara da raba a kulob din. Tsohon dan wasan Ingila da Liverpool ya amince da yin hakan tare da kulob din a wata sanarwa da aka fitar a ranar 31 ga Janairu, 2025.
Gerrard, wanda ya koma Al-Ettifaq a watan Yuli 2023, ya sanya hannu kan kwantiragin sa na farko a watan Janairu 2024, wanda zai tsaya har zuwa 2027. Duk da haka, kungiyar ta samu nasara biyar kacal a cikin wasanni 17 da suka buga a kakar wasa ta bana, inda suka kasance maki biyar sama da matsayin faduwa.
“Kwallon kafa ba ta da tabbas, kuma wani lokacin abubuwa ba su tafi kamar yadda muke so ba,” in ji Gerrard a cikin sanarwar sa. “Duk da haka, na bar kulob din da girmamawa ga kungiyar da kuma kasar. Ba ni da shakka cewa aikin da ake yi zai kawo nasara a nan gaba kuma ina fatan kungiyar ta samu nasara a sauran kakar wasa.”
Shugaban Al-Ettifaq, Samer Al Misehal, ya bayyana cewa Gerrard ya canza kulob din zuwa gaba. “Wani lokacin abubuwa ba su tafi kamar yadda muke tsammani ba, amma tushe mai karfi da ya taimaka wajen gina zai tabbatar da kyakkyawan makoma a nan gaba,” in ji shugaban. “Ya canza kulob din zuwa gaba kuma hakan ba za a manta da shi ba.”
Gerrard, wanda ya fara aikin koci a Rangers a shekarar 2018, ya jagoranci kungiyar zuwa lashe gasar Scotland a shekarar 2020-21. Ya kuma zama kocin Aston Villa a watan Nuwamba 2021, amma an kore shi bayan watanni 11. A Al-Ettifaq, ya kare a matsayi na shida a kakar wasa ta farko, amma ya bar kungiyar a matsayi na 12 a cikin kungiyoyi 16.
An bayar da rahoton cewa Gerrard ya kasance daya daga cikin kocin da aka fi biya albashi a duniya yayin da yake aiki a Saudi Arabia, inda yake samun kusan fam miliyan 15 a shekara.
