September 29 – Rio club Flamengo have dismissed their manager Jorge Sampaoli after his side failed to win the Copa do Brasil at the weekend.
The Argentinean had been under pressure to win a prize at Flamengo, Brazil’s best-supported club, and failure to land the Brazilian Cup in a two-legged final against Sao Paulo all but confirmed his exit from the Gavea club.
“The board thanks the professional (Sampaoli) and wishes him well in his career,” said Flamengo on its social media channels.
Sampaoli had arrived in Rio de Janeiro in April, signing a contract until 2024, but never managed to get his team on the rails. Flamengo were also knocked out of the Copa Libertadores, South America’s equivalent of the Champions League, by Paraguay’s Olimpia in the round of 16, a defeat that hurt the defending champions all the more because this year’s final will take place in the Maracana Stadium.
In the Brazilian league, Flamengo sit in seventh, 11 points behind league leaders Botafogo.
Sampaoli has previously coached Seville and Marseille as well as the national teams of Argentina and Chile.
Local media have begun speculating about his successor, with former Brazil coach Tite cited as the frontrunner for the role. A successful coach with Sao Paulo giants Corinthians, Tite took the reigns of the Brazilian national team in 2016, but a second consecutive quarter-final exit at the World Cup led to his departure from the Seleçao.
Tite has however previously indicated he doesn’t want to coach Brazilian clubs and is looking for a job abroad. However, he might be unable to resist the temptation of trying to steady the ship at Brazil’s biggest club.
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