Rui Borges is the new head coach of Sporting Clube de Portugal, signing a contract for one and half seasons with an option for a further year.
Six weeks after João Pereira was named as the successor to Ruben Amorim, the Lisbon club have a new man in the dugout, Sporting paying Vitória Sport Clube the release clause of €4.1 million for Borges.
The 43-year-old faces a baptism of fire with Sporting hosting new Primeira Liga leaders Benfica on Sunday, followed by a trip to Borges’ former club Vitória, then a Taça da Liga semi-final against Porto.
“The last few days have been intense days, but have been happy days,” said Borges. “I have no words to describe how proud I am, and my coaching team are, to be entrusted with this opportunity. I’m very happy.
“I’m really looking forward to getting down to work to show that we can continue what we have done up to now. I’m very confident that our work will continue to bring good results, I have no doubts about that.
“I’m here to work. I’m not a great talker. I’m here to work. I’m very calm, very honest, very pure like the people from where I’m from, Tras-os-Montes. We’re people who like to work and I’m no different, and above all I’m extremely honoured to represent this great club.”
João Pereira’s unhappy spell in charge resulted in 4 defeats, 1 draw and 3 wins, after Sporting had won 17 of their previous 18 games under Amorim. His contract was rescinded almost before the ink had dried, but club president Frederico Varandas revealed that Pereira rejected any indemnity payment he was legally entitled to.
“He said: ‘President, this club gave me everything, you don’t have to pay me anything’. This nobility says everything about his character,” said Varandas, who added that the young coach experienced Murphy’s Law in that he had to deal with the club’s worst injury crisis under his presidency as well as a series of poor refereeing decisions.
In retrospect, it was a big mistake appointing a coach who had never managed at the highest level.
Unlike Pereira, Rui Borges has accumulated years of experience as a head coach, steadily working his way up the Portuguese football pyramid with impressive results.
The job he has done at his last three clubs especially – Mafra, Moreirense and Vitória – has earned widespread plaudits and marked him out as one of Portugal’s most promising up-and-coming managers.
Borges brings with him his coaching team comprising of Tiago Manuel Barroso Valtelhas de Aguiar, Ricardo Alberto Medeiros Chaves, Fernando Manuel Nascimento Alves and José Pedro Ferreira Gaspar Lage Meireles.
By Tom Kundert
