Damac appoint Al Atwi as new manager

Roshn Saudi League side Damac have announced Khaled Al Atwi as their new manager until the end of the season.

Al Atwi, whose last managerial stint was as interim boss at Al Qadsiah at the start of the 2022-23 season, becomes the third Saudi head coach currently active in the top division, alongside Saad Al Shehri at Al Ettifaq and Mohammed Al Abdali at Al Taawoun.

Damac had earlier announced they had parted ways with Portuguese coach Nuno Almeida, who replaced Cosmin Contra in December.

Since Almeida's appointment, Damac picked up 12 points from as many RSL matches, winning only three games – although those included victories against league leaders Al Ittihad and fourth-placed Al Qadsiah. The latter proved to be Almeida’s final outing as Damac boss.

Currently, the Khamis Mushait side sit 12th in the RSL with 27 points, leaving them seven points afloat of the relegation zone with nine matches to go. They have never finished lower than 12th since gaining promotion to the top flight in 2019-20.

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Highly rated Al Atwi, 47, led Saudi Arabia Under 20s to winning the AFC U20 Asian Cup in 2018 with a side featuring current RSL stars such as Turki Al Ammar and Feras Al Buraikan, as well as AS Roma right-back Saud Abdulhamid.

Al Atwi also won RSL Coach of the Month in December 2020 while in charge of Al Ettifaq. His first challenge as Damac manager will be a trip to the capital, where his side take on ninth-placed Al Riyadh on April 5.