Brazil’s managerial merry-go-round

Welcome back to the Brazil Sports newsletter. This week, we are looking at the revolving door of coaching appointments in Brazil, as four top division sides sack coaches in under 24 hours. And, there’s a look forward to the highlight fixture of the midweek, as Grêmio and Flamengo face off in the Copa Libertadores semi-finals. Happy reading!

Brazil’s managerial merry-go-round

In the space of under 24 hours last midweek, four coaches lost their jobs at Brazilian first division clubs, with three of the vacancies being filled on the same day. Since the beginning of the national league season in May, there have been an astonishing 27 changes in management among Brazil’s top 25 clubs, according to a survey by Globoesporte.

Musical chairs. The latest shuffling of the deck came on Thursday, with two clubs—São Paulo and Cruzeiro—getting rid of their bosses. After five months in charge, Cuca left São Paulo, while Rogério Ceni lasted only 46 days as Cruzeiro coach. The following morning, Oswaldo de Oliveira was sacked as Fluminense’s boss, and Fortaleza’s Zé Ricardo—are you still paying attention at the back?—was binned in order to allow for Rogério Ceni’s return.

Quick on the trigger. On average, coaches at Brazil’s top clubs last a paltry six months before getting the sack, dramatically affecting any chance of development and medium- to long-term planning. Fortaleza, who binned their coach to bring back Rogério Ceni, have had an astonishing 66 managerial changes since 2003. Their longest-serving coach is Rogério Ceni himself, having led the club for 21 months before taking the Cruzeiro job in August.

Cruzeiro. We have covered Cruzeiro a few times in recent months, and the firing of Rogério Ceni comes as the latest chapter in the club’s crisis. Despite having the support of the fans, the former goalscoring goalkeeper did not win over the club’s senior players or members of the board. Reported fallouts with squad leaders Thiago Neves and Dedé led to his removal, with Abel Braga—a close friend of Thiago Neves—being given the job.