THE National Association of Football Coaches (ANTF) today expressed concern about the departure of 10 coaches from the two main national championships after just eight rounds, warning of instability in the technical teams.
“After just eight rounds, the departure of 10 coaches in the two main national championships constitutes a sign of instability, which deserves serious reflection on the part of all Portuguese football players”, reads a statement.
For ANTF, “the change of coach cannot continue to be seen as an immediate response to less positive results”, arguing that building competitive teams requires time, planning, trust and continuity.
Without calling into question the clubs’ autonomy, the association argued that the evaluation of coaches’ performance must take into account the context, available resources and the strategic decisions of management structures, not being limited to immediate results.
The ANTF also considered that responsibility for the difficulties must be analyzed globally, preventing the coach from systematically being the first and only target.
“Responsibility must be analyzed globally, preventing the coach from systematically being the first and only target in the face of difficulties”, highlighted that organization.
The association defended a culture of greater stability, rigor and responsibility in sports management, highlighting that “stability does not mean permanence at any cost”, but rather considered decisions, coherent projects and conditions to properly evaluate the work carried out.
The ANTF reaffirmed its commitment to valuing and dignifying the coaching profession and called on clubs to prioritize planning and continuity, to the detriment of hasty decisions.
On Tuesday, the departures of Spaniard Carlos Vicens, from Sporting de Braga, and Alexandre Santos, from Nacional, were confirmed, joining Carlos Carvalhal, who left Famalicão by mutual agreement, a day earlier.
At Sporting de Braga, Franclim Carvalho has already started working and is scheduled to make his debut on Thursday, in the Conference League, while, at Nacional, Bruno Abreu is expected to guide the team against Braga, on Sunday.
The current edition of the I League kicked off on August 7th and, in just over two months, has already seen six changes in technical commands.
Vasco Matos had left Estoril Praia after the eighth round, the last played in the I League, at a time when the ‘canarinhos’ occupy last place, without any victory, with two draws and six defeats.
Previously, the Greek Sotiris Silaidopoulos had been removed from the technical command of Rio Ave, after recording a triumph in the first seven rounds, leaving the Vila-Condense team in 16th place, having been replaced by Vasco Seabra, who left the technical command of Arouca to head to Vila do Conde.
The first coach to leave in this edition of the I League was João Gião, who left Nacional after the fourth round, when the Madeirans were in ninth place, with four points.
Bruno Abreu also guided the islanders on an interim basis during the visit to Sporting, before Alexandre Santos took over as coach from the sixth round onwards.
In the II League, Amarante also changed coach, with Jorge Pinto leaving the club after eight games, following the 2-0 defeat against Portimonense.
On Tuesday, Amarante announced the return of Renato Coimbra, who had already guided the club between 2022 and 2024.
