JEDDAH: Al-Ahli’s newly elected president has promised fans a fresh start on and off the pitch after securing the position for a second time.
Majed bin Ayed Al-Nefaie, who was club president in 2018 for less than a year, convincingly beat Zyad Al-Yousef to the role. He also holds a golden membership on Al-Ahli’s general assembly.
Following his victory, Al-Nefaie said: “We have many challenges ahead of us and we will surely achieve them. Because of the desire of Al-Ahli fans who are close to myself, I am back.”
The election was called after former Al-Ahli president, Abdul-Ilah Muamina, and his board resigned in early April in the wake of a no-confidence vote by club members and angry fans over the team’s poor season and several humiliating defeats.
The Jeddah club is currently ninth in the Saudi Pro League table and last week exited the 2021 AFC Champions League at the group stage. Recent financial and administrative difficulties at the club led to the resignation of Muamina and the holding of a new election by the Ministry of Sports.
The returning president will hope to bring back stability to Al-Ahli on the pitch after such an inconsistent season and will also be seeking to reconnect with disgruntled supporters ahead of next season.
Fans took to social media to comment on Al-Nefaie’s election win, with many delighted at the news.
In a tweet, Abu Rayan, who calls himself The Royal Fan, said: “We trust Al-Nefaie and we hope he will return our team to its rightful position and lead the team to win more titles.”
Another supporter, Abdul Aziz Al-Aqeel, congratulated Al-Ahli fans and said that with such a strong president the club would soon be back among the titles.
