Egypt Fire Coach Rui Vitoria following AFCON flop

Egypt have sacked head coach Rui Vitoria after the national team’s underwhelming performance at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) confirmed on Monday.

Vitoria’s dismissal follows Egypt’s dramatic penalty shootout defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last 16, dashing their hopes of a record-extending eighth AFCON title.

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The team’s lackluster group stage performance, marked by three draws, further fueled frustrations, prompting apologies from the EFA to the Egyptian fans.

Egypt international Mohamed Salah picked up injury before Egypt early exit.

In a statement, the EFA board thanked Vitoria and his staff for their service but indicated they were exploring options among foreign coaches to fill the vacant position. The statement also announced former Al Ahly coach Mohamed Youssef as the interim manager.

Vitoria’s exit adds to the list of high-profile coaching casualties following the AFCON upset. This tournament saw several African football giants, including the top five ranked nations and the previous edition’s semi-finalists, face premature exits, paving the way for underdogs to shine.

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 Egypt however remain the most successful team in the Nations Cup with seven titles in the kitty, the Pharaohs were seeking their eight title at the 34th AFCON in Cote d Ivoire, a dream which hit the rocks with bang.

Egypt is the first National side Coach Rui Vitoria will be handling. He has previously coached mostly club sides totaling about eight of them including Benfica, Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr and Russian Side Spartak Moscow from where he joined Egypt on a 4-year deal in July 2022. The contract has now he cut short as a result of his sacking.