Portugal coach Fernando Santos has left his job, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) stated Thursday, in a transfer that comes 5 days after his group misplaced to Morocco within the World Cup quarterfinals.
The Portuguese suffered a shock 1-0 defeat by Morocco in Qatar final Saturday, after Santos began the match by leaving the nation’s all-time file goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo on the substitutes’ bench.
In an emotional video message, Santos stated that being Portugal’s coach was a “dream come true” and a “life goal” he fulfilled.
“When you lead groups, you have to make some difficult decisions,” he added. “It’s normal that not everyone was happy with the choices I made but the decisions I took were always thinking about what would be best for our team.”
In a press release, the FPF stated each events agreed to terminate the contract because it was the “right moment to start a new cycle.”
Santos, who has been extensively criticized for his techniques, grew to become Portugal’s coach in 2014 and led the nation in 109 matches. They received the European Championship in 2016 and UEFA’s inaugural Nations League in 2018-19.
“In addition to the titles won, Fernando Santos became the coach with the most games and most victories,” FPF stated. “It was an honor to have a coach and a person like Fernando Santos as the head of the national team.”
FPF stated its board would now begin the method of choosing a brand new supervisor.
Various Portuguese media retailers have reported that names reminiscent of AS Roma supervisor Jose Mourinho, the nationwide under-21 coach Rui Jorge and Lille boss Paulo Fonseca have been being thought of as potential replacements.
Mourinho arrived earlier on Thursday in Portugal’s southern area, the place AS Roma will play three friendlies, however remained silent when questioned by reporters about Santos’ succession.
