Leao sacked by Sao Paulo after six games
Reuters - Tuesday 26 June 2012, 22:21
Sao Paulo c oach Emerson
Leao was sacked on Tuesday as club president Juvenal Juvencio
complained of a lack of good trainers in Brazil.
Former goalkeeper Leao, who played for Brazil at the 1974
and 1978 World Cups and coached his country from 2000-01, had an
unhappy second spell in charge at Sao Paulo who have made a
dismal start to the Brazilian championship.
Sao Paulo have taken nine points from their opening six
matches with Saturday's 1-0 defeat by promoted Portuguesa the
catalyst for Leao's dismissal after nine months as their coach.
"I want to inform you that I'm no longer Sao Paulo's
trainer," Leao told a news conference at the club's training
grounds on Tuesday.
Juvenal said assistant coach Milton Cruz would take charge
of the team as a caretaker.
"Brazil doesn't shine with its coaches, we have brilliant
players but not coaches," he said, adding he had negotiated
without success to take on a foreign trainer.
Sports websites reported that Sao Paulo had approached
former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas but the Portuguese had
turned them down.
Leao's sacking was the second of the championship, which
began in mid-May, after Adilson Batista lasted a mere two months
and two matches, both draws, at Atletico Goianiense.
This year there have already been 12 changes of coaches
among the 20 teams in the Brazilian first division, the other 10
coming during the state tournaments that precede the national
championship.
The results based culture in the Brazilian game produced 33
changes in 2011.