THE The director said that what made him change his opinion, after the vote of confidence in the Spanish coach less than a week ago, was the fact that the team was unable to reverse the bad moment, stressing that the team “can never again happen to win just one game and draw another in six games”.
“The most important thing in football is unity and running, then quality appears. The responsibility belongs to everyone, not just Carlos (Vicens) and I believe this is a turning point not only for the coach, but also for the players’ attitude on the field”, he said at a press conference.
Thanking the Spanish coach for around a year and a half in charge of Sporting de Braga, António Salvador said that Vicens “brought new ideas” and “made the club grow”.
However, “the line of evolution” that was expected to be consolidated this season “ended up having a setback” that the team “was unable to reverse”.
“I have nothing but praise for the delivery, commitment, dedication and work capacity of manager Carlos Vicens and his team”, he said, considering that “the results are not always fair regarding the quality of a coach’s work”.
Regarding the hiring of Franclim Carvalho, he considered that “it is not a transition, it is a cut”.
“A new profile, new ideas and whoever stays has to start from scratch and has proof to give. The dressing room has to assume its responsibility because the new cycle can only be successful starting in the group. In difficult times, great men come, which is as or more important than being great players”, he warned.
The Arsenal leader stressed that the new coach has “the Sporting de Braga identity” and that he knows “the club and its values very well”, so he was “the obvious choice”.
“He was in the last title won and the last time we went to the Champions League as Artur Jorge’s assistant, he doesn’t need to adapt because he knows everything about Braga”, he said.
Salvador also addressed words to his partners, considering that his “demand is legitimate: Braga has to be much more than it has been until now, but there is a lot of play this season and my conviction is that they will have to count on Braga on all fronts”.
When re-applying for the 2025/29 four-year period, Salvador said that this mandate would be the “most ambitious cycle” in the club’s history, including the goal of being champion by 2029.
“My vision was to bring a different idea to the club, this was achieved last year, although internally we didn’t have a great championship, but unfairly we didn’t reach a final in the Europa League. We made the biggest investment ever, that speaks well of the ambition, but unfortunately there was no progress and the responsibility is mine”, he said.
