LISBON, Portugal — The tenure of João Pereira as the head coach of Sporting Lisbon was notably short, lasting barely six weeks. Pereira stepped in on November 11 after Ruben Amorim made his exit to Manchester United. However, he was dismissed this past Thursday and will be succeeded by Rui Borges, who previously coached at Vitoria de Guimaraes.
Upon taking charge, Pereira was greeted with a team that was leading the Portuguese league and positioned second in the newly formatted Champions League. At present, Sporting Lisbon holds second position in the domestic league, trailing Benfica by one point, while in the Champions League, they sit at 17th place, with only two matches left to play. Only the top eight teams in the group will advance directly to the knockout stage, whereas those ranked from ninth to 24th will enter the playoff round.
During his brief time as head coach, Pereira secured three wins out of eight matches, which included a heavy 5-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal in the Champions League. Sporting’s president, Frederico Varandas, acknowledged the challenges Pereira faced during his time in charge. “João Pereira stepped in knowing he was taking on a significant challenge,” said Varandas. “Sadly, we realized that things were not going as planned.”
He further elaborated on the difficulties stemming from Amorim’s unexpected departure and noted the numerous injuries that plagued the squad, referencing them as unprecedented during his presidency. Varandas expressed regret for not being able to offer Pereira more support, wishing him well in future endeavors and highlighting Pereira’s valuable qualities. Varandas also shared that Pereira chose not to accept any severance pay upon his exit.
Looking forward, Varandas emphasized that the hiring of Rui Borges signifies a fresh start for the club. “He is a coach we’ve been monitoring for more than a year, whose career has shown consistent progress,” Varandas stated. “Sporting is competing on multiple fronts, vying for every available trophy, and we intend to persist in this pursuit.”
