Fernando Santos resigns as national coach. The Portuguese Football Federation and the coach have agreed on the departure, which could be made official today. Santos could not resist Portugal’s elimination in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup and the public altercation with Cristiano Ronaldo.
As soon as the team lost to Morocco and parted ways with Qatar, the coach said that “the word resignation” was not in his “lexicon”, but promised to have a talk with Fernando Gomes to assess the future. What happened last Tuesday. Since then, the parties have been negotiating the termination.
Thus ends a cycle of eight years and two trophies: Euro 2016 and the League of Nations 2019. Fernando Santos took command of the rubra verde team in October 2014, replacing Paulo Bento as technical commander. He had a contract until 2024, so it was necessary to come to an agreement to leave, more because of the erosion of the relationship with the players than because of the failed goal.
Despite aiming for the world title in Qatar, the squad progressed to the quarter-finals, losing to Morocco (1-0). And if it is true that it has not come this far since 2006 (it remained in the round of 16 in 2010 and 2018 and in the group stage in 2014), then it is also true that it disappointed at the 2018 World Cup, in Euro 2020 and in the recent failure to qualify for the playoff League of Nations final fails to make the most of the best generation of players Portugal has ever had.
The body led by Fernando Gomes has room to come up with the best solution, as the team only has matches again in March – against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg – and the planning for Euro 2024 was still done by the current coach.
(updated)
Source: DN
