Ex-Maccabi Tel Aviv Coach Lazetic Fired by Saudi Club After Bizarre Substitution Error

Serbian coach Zarko Lazetic has been sacked by Saudi Arabian club Al-Tawoun after just 79 days and seven winless matches in charge. The club officially announced his dismissal on September 26, making him the first coach to be fired in the Saudi Pro League this season. The decision came shortly after a heavy 6-0 home defeat to Al-Hilal, a match where Arsenal loanee Gabriel Martinelli scored a hat-trick.

Al-Tawoun's loss marked their fourth league defeat of the season. However, the humiliating scoreline was overshadowed by a bizarre incident involving Lazetic's substitutions. In the 58th minute, with his team trailing 5-0, Lazetic made all five of his available substitutions at once. Nine minutes later, a player was injured and unable to continue. With no substitutions remaining, Al-Tawoun was forced to play with ten men for nearly half an hour without receiving a red card.

At the post-match press conference, Lazetic faced intense criticism from local journalists. He took responsibility for the substitution error, stating, "If I had known someone would get injured, I wouldn't have used all the substitutions so early. It's my mistake and I apologize for it, but when you are losing by such a large margin, you try to make all the changes to improve performance." He also addressed being seen sitting idly on the bench, explaining that it happens when losing and that the focus shifts to negativity.

Lazetic also sought to correct a mistranslated quote attributed to him, clarifying, "There was a complete translation error here. I said I would smile only when we win, I didn't say I would smile after this game." Despite his explanations, the club proceeded with his dismissal, ending his brief tenure.