Ex-Benfica player shown the door... Sporting to blame | OneFootball

Rui Vitória is no longer the coach of Panathinaikos. The former Benfica manager has ended his association with the Greek club, in a decision that was communicated recently. He had taken charge of the team in the summer of 2024, but the adventure ends roughly a year later.

According to what is being reported by the newspaper Record, the departure of Rui Vitória happened by mutual agreement between the former Benfica coach and Panathinaikos, the club he was managing. The national press explains that, from the Portuguese coach’s perspective, the conditions were not in place for him to continue in the role.

Poor results at the start of the season explain part of the story: Panathinaikos won only one of the eight matches they played so far, including national league games and the preliminary rounds of European competitions, from which the Greek club ended up being eliminated.

However, Sporting also played an important role in the split that subsequently occurred. It should be remembered that the rival from the second circular signed Ioannidis and Vagiannidis from Panathinaikos, two key players for the Greek team. Rui Vitória felt that the reinforcements brought in to replace these departures did not come close to the necessary quality, especially after seeing some of his requests ignored by the management of the Greek club.

It should also be remembered that Renato Sanches joined Panathinaikos during the summer transfer window, and even pointed to Rui Vitória as one of the important factors in his decision to move to Greece. The former Benfica player now sees the coach who launched his career leave the club, after both worked together at the Estádio da Luz.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.