Bondarenko Saga Exposes Pusic Ahead of Al-Hazm Clash
Artem Bondarenko has become the flashpoint of early-season tension at Al-Ahli – and Marino Pusic is right in the middle of it.
Hours before Al-Ahli’s Roshn League meeting with Al-Hazm at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah on Friday, Saudi journalist Waleed Saeed revealed on X that Pusic had once again dropped the Ukrainian midfielder from the matchday squad. Brazilian winger Matheus Goncalves has also been left out.
For Bondarenko, this is not a one-off decision. It is a pattern.
The 26-year-old has now been omitted from the squad for the third time since his summer move from Shakhtar Donetsk, a transfer driven strongly by Pusic himself, who previously coached him at the Ukrainian club between 2023 and 2025.
Since arriving, Bondarenko has barely featured in green. He has played only twice for Al-Ahli: the 3-1 defeat to Al-Khaleej in the fourth round and the emphatic 5-0 win over Al-Riyadh in the fifth. Those brief appearances have been surrounded by long spells in the stands.
He was completely left out of the squad for the 3-0 loss to Al-Hilal in the third round and again for the 3-2 defeat to Al-Qadsiah in the sixth. Now comes a fresh exclusion against Al-Hazm, stretching his absence into another crucial league fixture.
Each omission sharpens the focus on Pusic.
This is the player he insisted on bringing in, despite clear resistance from the stands. Al-Ahli fans had already voiced their opposition to the signing before it was completed, and their stance only hardened once Bondarenko stepped onto the pitch.
During the 5-0 win over Al-Riyadh, sections of the home support jeered the Ukrainian, making their displeasure unmistakable. He has not played since.
The dynamic is awkward: a coach backing “his” signing, a fanbase rejecting the idea from the start, and a player caught in the middle, now watching game after game from outside the squad.
As Al-Ahli chase momentum in the seventh round of the Saudi Roshn League, the question hangs over Pusic: does he double down on his belief in Bondarenko, or has the crowd already made that decision for him?
