Rijkaard under fire in Saudi Arabia

Published Apr. 9, 2012 11:36 a.m. ET

foxsports

Saudi national football team coach Frank Rijkaard has been criticized by members of a council advising the country's monarchy after the team failed to advance in 2014 World Cup qualifying.

Monday's edition of the Saudi daily Al Eqtisadia reports that members of the Shura council said that Rijkaard's salary would be better spent on youth programs. They complained that his salary was equivalent to that of 10 ministers and that his performance so far didn't justify it.

The former Barcelona coach signed a three-year deal in June worth ?11 million ($15.9 million) and was expected to turn around a team that failed to advance past the group stages in the 2011 Asian Cup. Instead, the team won just one of its six World Cup qualifiers.