Al Hilal sacks Diaz after losing to Iran's Esteghlal

CAIRO – 21 February 2018: Al Hilal announced on Wednesday that they sacked their Argentinean manager, Ramon Diaz, after their 1-0 loss to Iran's Esteghlal in the AFC Champions League group stage on Tuesday.

Al Hilal, who lost last season’s AFC Champions League final, are suffering this season at the competition. They are at the bottom of their group after a draw against Al Ain and a loss to Esteghlal.

Diaz, 58, was appointed Al Hilal manager on October 15, 2016 and since then established his team as the best team in the country, as they achieved the 2017 league title after five years of absence and the 2017 King’s Cup title.
Diaz also led Al Hilal to the 2017 AFC Champions League final, when they lost the title to Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds.

Diaz’s sacking was a shock to Al Hilal fans, as it came five fixtures from the league end, where they are on top, four points ahead of the second-placed Al Ahly.

Diaz managed Al Hilal in 65 games; they won 52 games, ended 7 games with a draw and lost only six. The team kept an unbeaten run from December 26, 2016 until November 25, 2017.