The crisis at Al-Ittihad no longer relates solely to results on the pitch or the delay in completing deals. It has become a state of administrative confusion, and the fans are furious. They see their club living through one of its hardest spells in years, caught between contradictory decisions and financial troubles that threaten the entire project.
Al-Ittihad missed their major targets last season, so supporters were counting on a strong transfer window to drag the team back into contention. Reality has painted a very different picture. Postponement, backtracking and withdrawal from deals have dominated, and no clear vision for the future has emerged.
Liquidity crisis: the root of the problem
The biggest problem inside Al-Ittihad looks financial before it is technical. The data points to a clear weakness in liquidity, and that has fed directly into every move the management has made in the market.
Plenty of names have been linked with a switch to "the Doyen". Imam Ashour, Marwan Attia, Ezzeddine Ounahi, Raphael Onyedika: all featured in the talk. None of the negotiations turned into a real deal. The management simply entered races it knew in advance it might not be able to win.
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Then came the most damaging episode of all. Having reached an agreement with Abdullah Radif, the management backed out of completing the deal because they lacked the liquidity to finalise the contract. The player promptly moved elsewhere.
A transfer window with no results
Al-Ittihad's name crops up in almost every transfer story, yet it is missing from the actual deals. Time and again the club emerges as a suitor for a prominent player, only for the talks to collapse. A weak financial hand, hesitation over the decision, a sudden shift in priorities: the reasons vary, the outcome does not.
All of this has left fans with one impression. Al-Ittihad now negotiate far more than they sign, while rival clubs pounce on that sluggishness to wrap up their own targets fast.
Wissing pays the price early
Hiring German coach Jens Wissing was meant to launch a new project. He still has not been handed the tools to put his ideas into practice.
Wissing asked for specific reinforcements, above all a holding midfielder and a playmaker. The management failed to deliver, so the preparation period opened with a glaring shortage in key positions.
Keep the window ticking along at this pace and it gets worse. The team could enter the new campaign with virtually the same squad, even though everyone accepts it needs rebuilding.
The fans have lost trust
The most dangerous fallout may be the widening gap between the board and the supporters. Calls for administrative change grow louder by the day. A large chunk of the fanbase no longer blames the coach or the players. They point instead at how the club is run and the absence of any clear planning.
With the new season closing in, the management face a genuine test. Salvage the window and restore the fans' trust, or head into the campaign in a poisonous atmosphere that could pile on more pressure than ever before.