Casa Pia sack coach João Pereira; six-man multidisciplinary team take over | OneFootball

How quickly things change in football. Last season João Pereira was in the running for coach of the season as he led the modest Casa Pia to their highest ever points total in the top flight (45) and a 9th-place finish.

This season things have been very different. A 5-3 defeat at home to Estrela da Amadora on Saturday proved the final straw for the Casa Pia board. With just two wins in the opening 10 games of the Liga Portugal campaign, Pereira has been sacked.

“Casa Pia Atlético Clube and João Pereira, through mutual agreement, are in negotiations to terminate the contract of the head coach and his assistants Fernando Costa and César Lacerda,” read a club statement last night.

“The club recognises and is grateful for all the professionalism and dedication shown during this period of collaboration, highlighting the contribution made for the development and success of the sporting project. Casa Pia Atlético Clube wishes them the best of personal and professional success in the future.”

It is difficult to come to any conclusion other than Pereira and his assistants being the victims of their own success. Casa Pia played some tremendous football last season, leading to record transfer fee revenue through the sales of Telasco Segovia, Beni Mukendi and Nuno Moreira.

At just 33 years of age, João Pereira has shown his ability to coach at the top table in Portugal, and he will surely soon bounce back.

Casa Pia today announced that a multidisciplinary 6-man team will take charge of the first team, comprising coaches Alexandre Santana, Gonçalo Brandão, Tiago Dias, João Santos and João Aguiar and analyst Miguel Valentim. The Gansos make the short trip to the Estádio da Luz to play Benfica on Sunday.