Fernando Santos jobless, ex-Sporting man struggles in Azerbaijan | OneFootball

It's official. Fernando Santos, former coach of Sporting, is no longer the coach of Azerbaijan. The 70-year-old Portuguese coach reached an agreement to terminate his contract with the Azerbaijan Football Federation [AFFA], which was valid for another two years, until 2027. Already in March, the Portuguese was pointed towards leaving.

In his farewell, the coach recalls that when he took over the Azerbaijani National Team in June 2024, he was proposed to "reformulate the foundations of the country's football from a technical and infrastructural point of view, including competitive frameworks and training, with the aim of presenting a competitive team in the qualification phase for Euro 2028".

"I presented, with the necessary adaptations, a comprehensive plan in September 2024, similar to other projects I developed in federations where I worked. I hope this project can be useful to AFFA and motivate the necessary investment to create and develop football talents that will enable better results in the future," he wrote.

The coach also thanks "the president of the Federation for the respect and personal consideration he always had" for him, as well as "the people of Azerbaijan for the hospitality and affection they showed throughout this period." The Portuguese coach leaves the position after 11 games, in which he achieved zero wins, two draws, and nine losses.

Fernando Santos was the coach of Sporting in the 2003/04 sports season. In 40 games, the coach won 26, drew five, and lost nine times. He finished the Portuguese league in third place, behind Benfica (second place) and Porto (first).

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