Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Loay Nazer announced on Wednesday his candidacy for the presidency of Al-Ittihad Club, coinciding with the opening of the election period scheduled for June.

On Tuesday, the current president of the club, Anmar Al-Hailae, accused the Saudi Professional League of unequal support for the four big clubs.

Nazer shared his candidacy announcement via the "X" platform on Wednesday. In response, Al-Hailae, the current president, pledged all his electoral votes to Nazer for the upcoming season's presidency.

In a message addressed to Al-Ittihad fans via the "X" platform, Al-Hailae said: "Loyal fans of Al-Ittihad, I have been honored to serve our club over the past few years. My colleagues and I on the board have done everything in our power to uplift this entity, sparing no effort or expense to bring the team back to its competitive nature."

He added, "Thank God, our efforts over the past four years have resulted in many achievements, including building a team that won the club’s first Super Cup and recaptured the exceptional league title after a long absence. Moreover, we represented Saudi Arabia in the FIFA Club World Cup as the first host club of the tournament."

Al-Hailae reaffirmed his commitment to support the new candidate, stating: "Today, after Loay Nazer has declared his intention to run for the presidency, I confirm my previous announcement that I will give him all the votes I hold in the general assembly, wishing him and our club success and prosperity."