Portugal Coach Fernando Santos Quits After FIFA Debacle

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced that Fernando Santos, Portugal’s coach, had resigned after his side was eliminated from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal’s all-time leading scorer, started on the bench and entered the game as a substitute in the second half of the team’s 0-1 quarterfinal loss to Morocco.

In his final video message, Santos stated that fulfilling his “life goal” of coaching Portugal had been a “dream come true.”

Santos continued, “You have to make some tough choices when you lead groups. It is understandable that not everyone agreed with my decisions, but I always considered what would be best for our team when I made them.

Both sides opted to discontinue the contract because it was the “appropriate time to start a new cycle,” according to a statement from the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).

Santos took over as Portugal’s coach in 2014 and coached the squad in 109 games despite criticism of his tactics. Portugal won the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2018–19 and the 2016 European Championship under his leadership.

Fernando Santos “became the coach with the most games and victories in addition to the titles won,” according to FPF. “Having a coach and guy like Fernando Santos in charge of the national squad was an honour.”

FPF said that the selection of a new coach would now be kicked off by the board.

The names of AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho, Portugal Under-21 coach Rui Jorge, and Lille manager Paulo Fonseca have reportedly been mentioned in Portuguese media as possible replacements for Santos.