Sporting CP are poised to dismiss head coach Joao Pereira merely six weeks after he took the reins from Ruben Amorim. Pereira’s tenure has been marred by a dismal run of results, which has seen the reigning Liga Portugal champions surrender their lead at the top of the table to Benfica.
Pereira’s appointment was seen as a gamble, given his lack of experience at the top level. The fledgling manager had big shoes to fill, succeeding Amorim, who guided the club to their first Liga Portugal title in 19 years in 2020-21, and followed that up with another league success last term.
Despite starting with a 6-0 win, Pereira’s Sporting CP then lost four matches in a row, and although they have won two and drawn one of their last three games, it appears his time in charge is all but over. According to Record, Pereira has accepted that he is about to be sacked.
Pereira, a former Portugal international, ended his playing career at Sporting and was appointed as coach of the club’s Under 23s team in 2022 before taking over the reserves. However, his spell in charge of the senior squad has yielded just three wins from eight games.
Sporting CP have already begun drawing up a list of potential replacements and are reportedly in talks with their preferred candidate. A new face may be in the dugout by the time they host rivals and league leaders Benfica on 29 December.
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