Friday , March 29 2024

Portugal’s Fernando Santos extends contract until Euro 2024!

The contract extension between FPF (Portuguese Football Federation) and head coach Fernando Santos along with his technical team will remain in force until Euro 2024.

Portugal under Fernando Santos will participate, until then, in the Final Stage of Euro 2020, in the qualification for the 2nd UEFA Nations League, where they defends the two titles won by Portugal, in addition to the qualifications for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the 2023 UEFA Nations League and Euro 2024.

Fernando Santos took office as national coach in September 2014 and has since become the national coach with the most victories in addition to winning the Euro 2016 and 2019 UEFA Nations League. He coached Portugal also at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The FPF president Fernando Gomes explained the reasons for the contract extension, “This decision was very easy as we are renewing the contract of a coach who is an European champion. This decision is made according to the evolution of our conversations and the moment we are in. There was an electoral process [for the governing bodies of the FPF] and today we are sure that we will stay together for another four years because there is only one candidate list, which gives us the ability and the possibility to conclude this contract for the next four years. When, in 2014, we signed the contract to establish the relationship with Fernando Santos, I said that it was a place that he wanted, that he really wanted. After six years and after everything we went through together, I think this is a place that Fernando Santos deserves for what he gave to the National Team and Portuguese football. Since winning the participation in two ‘Euros’, winning the participation in a FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Confederations Cup and, above all, winning the European title and the first trophy of the UEFA Nations League. Naturally, all of these results – regardless of the excellent work done over these six years – give us this guarantee that it is an extremely easy decision and deserves this new agreement.”

Fernando Gomes also underlined the conduct for which the National Coach always stood out: “He is a respected, respectful person and, above all, a winner!”

Fernando Santos said he will continue to lead the National Team with the same sense of mission, “Essentially, it is a great privilege – for me and my technical team – to continue this path that we started a lot by strength, will and determination of the President (Fernando Gomes). For us it is a privilege to serve Portugal and Portuguese football, this is what we will try to continue to do to the same extent that we have done so, always with an ambition, which is to win. We know that we will not be able to win everything, for sure, but we will fight to win everything. In this context, it is also a personal honour for me to be with the President until the end of his term, the end of mine. Six years of great success, no one can counter it. Unequivocal success for the Portuguese Football Federation as a whole. Now, as I always said, alone we will not win, but I am still sure that we – all those who have always been part of this and will continue to do so and the new ones who will become part of all this – will continue to give success and joy to the Portuguese people.”

About Arunava Chaudhuri

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