Diaz, 64, had been in charge of Vasco da Gama since July 2023. His son Emiliano, 40, who was his assistant, is also leaving the club. “Vasco da Gama informs that immediately after the match, Ramon Diaz and Emiliano Diaz will no longer be part of the technical committee. Rafael Paiva, coach of the U-20 team, will act as interim coach,” the Rio de Janeiro club said in a laconic statement. In a statement to the media, Ramon Diaz said he was disappointed to learn of his dismissal via social networks.
“It’s the first club in my history as a coach that made me fight against relegation, I have always fought for titles,” recalled the Argentinian, finalist of the Club World Cup in 2022 with the Saudi club Al-Hilal. “I regret what happened. We didn’t expect to be fired by Twitter. We deserved something else,” said the former River Plate coach.
Diaz took office at the helm of Vasco da Gama on Matchday 15 of Brasileirao 2023, when the team was penultimate with nine points, tied with bottom side América Mineiro. He managed to save Vasco thanks to a spectacular comeback but this new season was marked by a humiliating elimination in the semi-finals of the Rio state championship against Nova Iguaçu, a small thumb in the Brazilian fourth division. And in the Brazilian championship, Vasco is currently the first non-relegation team with only three points in four matches. The squad notably includes the Frenchman Dimitri Payet, the Chilean Gary Medel, the Paraguayan Robert Rojas and the Uruguayan José Luis Rodriguez.