Official: Flamengo sack coach Vítor Pereira, Jorge Jesus to return? | OneFootball

Vítor Pereira’s stint as manager of South American champions Flamengo is over, before the Portuguese had even had the chance to take charge of a Campeonato Brasileiro match.

Pereira was fired by the club on Tuesday morning following a troublesome spell in cup competitions ahead of Brasileirão 2023. Flamengo were beaten in the Brazilian Supercup, the South American Supercup and the Carioca State Championship, making Pereira the first manager in the club’s history to lose his first three finals in charge.

The story of the former Porto man at Brazil’s most popular club has been a turbulent one from the beginning. Pereira was in charge of fellow powerhouses Corinthians of Sao Paulo last year, but resigned at the end of Brasileirão 2022 citing the ill-health of his mother-in-law as the reason to return to Portugal.

Instead of departing for his homeland, Pereira quickly signed with Flamengo, taking the reins in the wake of the Rio de Janeiro side’s Copa Libertadores triumph. Corinthians president Duilio Monteiro Alves denounced Pereira’s actions, telling the media “He fooled us all, he lied,” while sections of the Flamengo supporters have always treated their new man with suspicion.

And so, Pereira becomes the second Portuguese boss in the space of a year to fail in the task of replacing countryman Jorge Jesus in the Flamengo hotseat, following Paulo Sousa’s similarly brief attempt. Jesus is revered at the club for his trophy-laden spell in 2019, with early reports now suggesting the veteran coach has already been contacted about a sensational return when his contract with Fenerbahce expires in May.

Brasileirão kicks off this weekend, with the Portuguese contingent of coaches still strong at 7 Luso bosses in the topflight: Abel Ferreira (Palmeiras), Renato Paiva (Bahia), Pedro Caixinha (RB Bragantino), António Oliveira (Coritiba), Ivo Vieira (Cuiabá), Luís Castro (Botafogo) and Pepa (Cruzeiro).