Al-Hilal issued a statement on Sunday announcing that head coach Jorge Jesus has been sacked. His position will be temporarily taken over by assistant coach Mohammed Shalehub until further notice.

Jorge Jesus, 70, has coached Almora, Felgueiras, Madeira Union, Estrella de Amadora, Setubal, Guimarães, Moreira, Leiria Union, Belém, Braga, Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, Al-Hilal, Flamengo and Fenerbahce since 1990, and has led his team to win 3 Portuguese Super League titles, 1 Portuguese Cup, 6 Portuguese League Cups, 2 Portuguese Super Cups, 1 Saudi Super Cup, 1 Brazilian League, 1 Brazilian Super Cup, 1 Copa Libertadores, 1 Copa Sudamericana Winners and 1 Turkish Cup. He returned to Al-Hilal as head coach in July 2023, and in his first season he led the team to win the Saudi Super League, Saudi King's Cup and Saudi Super Cup.

However, Jesus failed to continue his strong performance in the first year this season. Al-Hilal is currently ranked second in the Saudi Professional League standings, 6 points behind the leader Jeddah United. In the Asian Champions League, they lost 1-3 to Jeddah National and were eliminated in the semi-finals for the second consecutive year.

In recent months, Jesus has become the second most popular candidate for the Brazilian national team coach after Carlo Ancelotti. If Ancelotti refuses to accept the coaching invitation, Jesus is expected to sign a contract with the Brazilian Football Association (CBF) until the end of the 2026 World Cup.

However, the Brazilian Football Association still regards Ancelotti as the first choice for the national team coach. According to ESPN, A Bola and other media, the Brazilian Football Association plans to wait until the end of this season before making a decision. In the meantime, Jesus is still the Brazilian Football Association's backup plan.