Ex-Maccabi Tel Aviv Coach Lazetic Fired in Saudi Arabia After Bizarre Substitution Error

Serbian coach Zarko Lazetic has been sacked by Saudi Arabian club Al-Tawoun after just 79 days and seven matches without a win. 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 followed a heavy 6-0 home defeat to Al-Hilal, a match where Arsenal's 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 his game management, 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 the performance." He also addressed his apparent inaction on the bench in the final fifteen minutes, explaining that he often sits this way when losing, and that the focus shifts to negative aspects during such defeats.

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