Axe To Grind

Brazilian clubs are no strangers to managerial sackings but two recent dismissals have been notably harsh, highlighting a lack of long-term vision.

- Jack Lang

Brazil

Anyone looking for job security would probably be well advised to steer clear of football management in Brazil. Coaches are rarely more than a handful of adverse results away from dismissal, with their employers always keen to deflect attention away from more long-standing problems with the quick fix of a sacking.

Stability is just a pipe dream for most. Only three top-flight teams ended the 2016 Brasileirão season with the coach that had been in the dugout on the opening weekend; the remaining 17 clubs racked up 28 managerial changes between them. That was a slight downturn: there were 31 in 2015. The early signs are that this season will follow a similar pattern.

Yet while those numbers have largely inured people to the precariousness of it all, there is still the odd case that manages to shock – as proved by a pair of controversial sackings in Série A at the beginning of July.