When Steven Gerrard was sacked by Aston Villa last October after less than a year in the role, you would have got good odds on his next role being with Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq.

But, as the 43-year-old gets prepared for the next step of his coaching career, he has swapped the Midlands for the Middle East as he becomes the latest big name to move to Saudi Arabia to join a team few English fans had heard of until the interest arose.

Having originally distanced himself from taking the job last month, the 43-year-old has now accepted a lucrative offer from the Dammam-based club. Al-Ettifaq representatives were in London on Monday finalising Gerrard’s appointment ahead of the confirmation.

Gerrard agreed to the role following a renewed round of talks with the Saudi side, who are committing millions towards player recruitment to help their new boss build a team of global superstars.

But what do we know about the team who will become just the fifth club in the Liverpool legend’s playing and coaching career? Mail Sport provides the lowdown.

Who are Al-Ettifaq?

Nicknamed The Commandos, Al-Ettifaq were established in 1945 after the merging of the three clubs in the city of Dammam – Al-Taawoun, Al-Sha’ab and Al-Shabab.

Officials decided upon the name Al-Ettifaq – which means ‘agreement’ in Arabic – and they settled on green and white colours, which have subsequently developed into green and red.

They are based in Dammam, a city in the east of Saudi Arabia which is about one hour away from Riyadh and two hours from Jeddah by plane.

Al-Ettifaq play at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, named after a former long-serving governor of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

It has a capacity of 25,000, but in the 2022-23 season they averaged an attendance of just 5,200 across their 15 home league games.

Who are their key players?

A quick look down Al-Ettifaq’s 26-man squad and it is hard to see many familiar names. Their team is mainly made up of Saudi players, although they had no members of Herve Renard’s World Cup squad last year.

Among their team, there are nine non-native players, but the most well-known of these are probably Swedish forward Robin Quaison – who has 13 goals in 47 international caps – and Germany international Amin Younes, although he hasn’t played for Hansi Flick’s international side since 2021.

Younes counts Ajax, Napoli and Eintracht Frankfurt among his former clubs, while captain Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi has racked up more than 160 appearances for The Commandos over the past seven years.

Their record signing is Tunisian international Naim Sliti, who arrived for £4.2m from French side Dijon in 2019. 

What is their history?

Gerrard’s new side play in the Saudi Pro League and last season finished seventh in the 16-team division, 35 points behind champions Al-Ittihad – who have since strengthened by signing both N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema.

They have been league champions on two occasions, but not for a long time, winning the title in 1982-83 and 1986-87.

The first of those triumphs completed what was an unbeaten season, as they became the first Saudi side to achieve such a feat.

They also won the King’s Cup – the equivalent of the FA Cup – in 1968 and 1985.

Similarly, they lifted the now defunct GCC Champions League (the Gulf Cup for Clubs) on three occasions in 1983, 1988 and 2006 and subsequently triumphed in the Arab Club Champions Cup in 1984 and 1988.

However, it is clear this golden period in the 1980s hasn’t quite been replicated in the following years and they returned to the Saudi top flight after winning the first division in 2015-16.

Who owns the club?

The Al-Dabal name is the strongest linked with the club, with the family having close ties to Al-Ettifaq across the past 50 years.

Abdullah Al-Dabal – a prominent former Saudi football official who held several roles within the kingdom’s federation – was their president during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Similarly, Al-Dabal was part of the Asian Football Confederation and was widely credited for helping to grow the game on the continent, while he was also a FIFA Executive Member. 

His son, Khalid, is the current president and has helped to rebuild the club over recent years following their relegation from the top flight in 2014.

Khalid is also a massive Gerrard fan, with the Al-Ettifaq chief calling him a ‘living giant’ in 2013, while he also said on Twitter at the time: ‘Gerrard may not have touched the (Premier League) title, but he touched many hearts.’ 

Al-Ettifaq’s official owner is Nawaf A Alosaimi, although there is limited information online about this individual.

What is Gerrard likely to face in Saudi Arabia?

Firstly, Gerrard will be well remunerated in Saudi, with his salary reported to be around £8.1million-a-year – more than £150,000 per week.

He penned a two-year contract with the club, although the make-up of his backroom staff remains uncertain.

Former Scotland favourite Gary McAllister was Gerrard’s assistant throughout his time at both Rangers and Aston Villa, but there is so far a lack of clarity on whether he will join the 43-year-old.

Al-Ettifaq currently have two assistants in place – Tarik Makhnass and Antonio Cazorla. The latter spent time in temporary charge last season after Frenchman Patrice Carteron was dismissed in February.

Meanwhile, Saudi’s controversial sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced last month they were taking control of four of the Pro League’s biggest clubs Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli. 

Al-Ettifaq, however, believe they can compete with the PIF-run clubs to challenge for the title next season and Gerrard is likely to have a hefty transfer budget to spend.

Within a day of his announcement, Philippe Coutinho – who Gerrard played with at Liverpool and signed for Aston Villa – was linked, while Jordan Henderson, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alvaro Morata have also been linked with a move. 

Mail Sport understands initial discussions over a move for Morata have taken place amid hope he can become one of Gerrard’s first signings, with Atletico Madrid open to a cut-price deal for the former Chelsea striker. 

However, the Saudi side are likely to face competition from clubs in Italy.

It all promises to an intriguing watch from afar when the action gets underway on August 11. 

Osasuna will not play in Europe’s third-tier Conference League next season after the LaLiga club said on Tuesday that they have been excluded from the competition by continental soccer body Uefa due to a match-fixing scandal from a decade ago.

Osasuna qualified for the Conference League playoff round after finishing seventh in LaLiga last term.

However, the club was embroiled in a match-fixing scandal in the 2013-14 season. A trial in early 2020 resulted in the conviction of several of the club’s former directors, a decision that was welcomed by the administration that succeeded them.

Under Uefa rules any team implicated in match-fixing since April 2007 can be excluded from the next European competition they qualify for. Osasuna have not qualified for a Uefa competition since the 2006-07 season.

Osasuna plan to appeal the Uefa ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The Uefa decision means LaLiga’s eight-placed side Athletic Bilbao are set to go into the playoff round instead. The first leg is scheduled for August 24.

“Osasuna does not share at all the criteria of Uefa or the investigation of the case carried out and regrets the wrong message that Uefa sends to the world of football (by) punishing those who denounce corruption and prosecute it in court,” the club said in a statement.

“The members of the Uefa Appeals Committee have not taken into account the allegations presented by the club last Friday and have reaffirmed the initial opinion of the inspectors of the Uefa Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Committee.”

Osasuna added that they will continue to explore all legal options to be able to play in Europe next season.

Reuters has asked Uefa for comment.

The Conference League qualifying rounds for the 2023-24 season start next week.

Leeds United have appointed former Norwich City boss Daniel Farke as their new manager on a four-year contract, the Championship club said on Tuesday.

The 46-year-old has replaced Sam Allardyce who left the club by mutual agreement following their relegation from the Premier League at the end of last season, after he was parachuted in with only four games remaining.

“I feel humble at this time, I know the responsibility to fulfil all the expectations and I want to repay the trust shown,” Farke told the club website.

“The most important thing is to create a togetherness and unity within this club again and from today onwards, I will work on it with my staff and players, and I trust our supporters will be there when we need them.”

Farke returns to the English second-tier after he was a manager at Norwich from 2017-2021.

The German led Norwich to the Premier League in his second season before being relegated back to the second tier in 2019-20. They won the Championship and secured an immediate return to the top flight in 2020-21.

“His record in the Championship is clear, and I am impressed by his leadership and plan to guide us back to the Premier League,” Leeds Vice Chairman Paraag Marathe said.

In January 2022 Farke joined Russian Premier League side Krasnodar. However, he left the club three months later following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, without managing a game due to the winter break.

He took over at Borussia Monchengladbach in 2022-23, whom he led to a 10th-place finish in the German Bundesliga.

Farke will be assisted at Leeds by Eddie Riemer, with Christopher John and Chris Domogalla also joining the coaching team at Elland Road, having previously worked together at Norwich, Leeds said.

Brazilian striker Roberto Firmino has joined Al-Ahli on a free transfer following his departure from Liverpool, the Saudi Arabian side said on Tuesday.

“I always played for big teams, now I’m in Al-Ahli,” Firmino said in a video on Al-Ahli’s twitter account.

The 31-year-old will team up with goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, who also left the Premier League after three seasons with Chelsea.

Firmino joined Liverpool in 2015 and helped the team win the Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League titles.

The Brazil international bade farewell to Anfield in late May, scoring his 111th goal for the club during their last game of the season.

Firmino joins a long list of high-profile players who have moved to the Saudi Pro league in recent weeks, with the likes of Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Ruben Neves following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved to Al-Nassr in January.

Corinthians midfielder Luan was assaulted by fans in Sao Paulo on Tuesday, the Brazilian club said, describing the incident as a “cowardly” act of aggression.

Local media reported that the 30-year-old player suffered minor injuries after being dragged out of a motel by supporters who urged him to immediately terminate his contract with the club.

Luan joined Corinthians in 2020 and has made 80 appearances for the club, scoring 11 goals and making five assists. His contract expires at the end of this season.

“Corinthians received with sadness and indignation the information that athlete Luan was assaulted by alleged fans in the early hours of this Tuesday morning,” the club said in a statement.

“After another repugnant case of violence, Corinthians regrets the current moment of intolerance that dominates Brazilian soccer. Nothing justifies the cowardly aggression suffered by the athlete.”

The club added it is offering all necessary support to the player, who posted an image on his Instagram account showing his blood-stained shorts.

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba says soccer players in Africa too often fall prey to fake agents peddling promises of fame and fortune.

Through his foundation, Drogba has teamed up with global soccer players union FIFPRO and the International Labour Organisation to raise awareness about the risks.

“Please, I need you to hear this,” former Ivory Coast international Drogba says in an animated campaign video to players. “Be very careful who you trust. Never trust the person who wants your money.”

FIFPRO recently surveyed 263 players from seven African countries and found that more than 70 per cent were contacted unsolicited by someone who promised to help them switch clubs.

Most often, players approached were offered the chance of a trial (43 per cent) or a contract with a club (39 per cent) – and 56 per cent did not get a trial promised to them, while 44 per cent did not sign a contract they expected to sign.

“FIFPRO has heard many stories about players being approached by people pretending to be agents that promise to arrange a trial or a contract with a new club,” FIFPRO said in a release.

“The reality is less glamorous… In some of the worst cases players find themselves stranded abroad without money to return home.”

Young players in particular, Drogba said, are at risk in their eagerness to secure an agent.

“Your best agent is not the guy you may trust, the best agent you can have is your performances,” Drogba said on a video call this week with reporters. “This never lies. So the more you perform, the more clubs are coming to watch you play.

“What I see is a lot of kids looking for an agent to find me a club. That’s not how it works. It’s the performance that gets the attention of the clubs and good agents.”

As part of Fifa’s new regulations, as of 1 October, 2023 every soccer agent must have a Fifa licence, which requires passing an exam.

The campaign includes a pamphlet for players with practical advice such as how to identify a fake agent, what to look for in a contract, and a player’s rights as a foreign employee.

“Some of our friends paid their entire family savings, everything they had, but they never played abroad,” Drogba says in his animated video. “Instead, they were left stranded at an airport, or in a shabby space, under a stadium with 20 others, or living under a bridge or even thrown in jail in Asia.

“And I’m not talking about one player. But thousands just like you, with the same hopes and dreams who have been cheated and left with nothing… I don’t want you to be the next.”

The 45-year-old is one of the most successful African players in Premier League history. He scored 164 goals for Chelsea, capturing four league titles and the Champions League and twice winning the Premier League Golden Boot.

Fluminense coach Fernando Diniz has been appointed to lead Brazil on an interim basis while the national football federation (CBF) pursues Carlo Ancelotti.

The one-year contract starts at the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches in September, the CBF said.

“It’s a dream for anyone,” Diniz said in a video posted on the website of Brazilian broadcaster Globo.

“It’s an honour and a great pride to serve the national team. It was a call-up, especially the way it happened, in a joint effort between CBF and Fluminense.

“I’m convinced we have everything to take this forward and make it work.”

The CBF are still pursuing Real Madrid manager Ancelotti to be their new coach in the long term, Globo said.

Globo, citing CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues, reported the Italian would be in charge for the 2024 Copa America, which starts on 20 June in the United States.

However, the details of Ancelotti’s contract and start date are yet to be worked out, Globo added. The Italian coach has a contract with Madrid until 2024 and has said he would honour the final year.

The Brazil role has been vacant since the resignation of Tite following the team’s quarterfinal exit at the 2022 World Cup.

The five-time world champions have been coached by Under-20 manager Ramon Menezes in recent friendlies against African teams.

Diniz will continue his role at Fluminense while juggling national team duties, CBF said.