The Moroccan international Romain Saiss, who played for the Qatari club Al-Sadd, has officially signed with the Saudi Pro League Al-Shabab until the end of the current season, Al Sadd said in a press release.
According to media reports, the Moroccan defender was no longer able to play for his former team due to an error by the club’s administration, who had not included him on the list of players retained for this season.
The administration justified this rejection based on a technicality, citing the rule that Qatari clubs cannot field more than seven foreign players, which led Saiss to look for another club.
Saiss, who joined the Qatari club under a free transfer agreement this summer, attracted interest from several European teams, including French club Rennes. However, Al-Sadd had prevented any transfer under the precedent which limits the number of Qatari clubs’ foreign players.
Managed by Dutchman Marcel Keizer, Al-Shabab includes players such as Belgian Yannick Carrasco, Senegalese Habib Diallo, and Argentinian Ever Banega.
In the Saudi Pro League, Saiss will play against players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Sadio Mane, and Karim Benzema all of whom also play for different Saudi clubs.
In a more positive light, playing against these renowned athletes might be an ideal way for Saiss to stay competitive in the run-up to the Ivory Coast’s 2024 Africa Cup of Nations.
Saiss played for several years in France before joining the English club Wolverhampton, then Besiktas in Turkey, and Al-Sadd in Qatar.
He has 75 caps to his credit with the Moroccan national team, with whom he reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.