The Brazilian club Corinthians de São Paulo announced this Thursday the hiring of coach Mano Menezes, returning to the club for the third time, replacing Vanderlei Luxemburgo who was dismissed the day after the draw with Fortaleza in the semi-final first leg of the Copa Sudamericana. Menezes signed a contract until “the end of 2025” and will make his big debut on Saturday during the Paulista derby against São Paulo, in the championship, the team said in a press release.
This is the third stint at the helm of the “Timão”, which has been facing financial problems for years and has not won a major title since 2017, the year in which he won his seventh star of the Brasileirao, the championship . The 61-year-old coach was the board of directors’ plan B, which hoped to seduce Tite, “Corinthian” idol and Brazil coach during the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, according to the local press. The latter is expected to join Flamengo, the Rio club, to replace the Argentinian Jorge Sampaoli, whose departure is announced imminent after a series of poor results, again according to the Brazilian press.
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Free since his dismissal from Internacional Porto Alegre in July, Menezes will face the challenge of winning the first title in the Sudamericana and preventing the Paulista club from being relegated. The semi-final return will take place next Tuesday in Fortaleza.
Already an electric duel awaits Menezes and his team: the classic against São Paulo, the new winner of the Brazilian Cup, Saturday at the Morumbí stadium. Corinthians, Brazil’s second most popular team behind Flamengo, sit 11th in the league with 30 points, but just five points above the relegation zone with 14 matches remaining.
