Portuguese club Santa Clara have extended the contract of their manager Vasco Matos until 2027, they said on Wednesday, after a deal for him to join Brazilian champions Botafogo fell through due to a coaching license debacle.
Matos, who led Santa Clara to Portugal’s second division title last year and to fifth in the top-flight standings, reached an agreement with Botafogo on Monday. He was set to replace his compatriot Artur Jorge who joined Qatar’s Al-Rayyan in December after guiding the Brazilian club to the league and Copa Libertadores double.
However, sources close to both clubs told Reuters that Botafogo’s owner, American businessman John Textor, found out on Tuesday that Matos did not have the UEFA Pro License required for coaching at the highest level in South America, so would not be allowed to manage the team in their Copa Libertadores title defence.
Botafogo tried to rework the deal with Matos while attempting to find out if South American soccer’s ruling body CONMEBOL would accept a provisional registration until he upgraded his licence.
The licensing of coaches has been a controversial issue in Portugal recently, with aspiring coaches and professional managers calling for fairer access to the necessary certification.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim was handed multiple fines for not having the required licences while coaching his former clubs Casa Pia, Braga and Sporting.
Sources told Reuters that Matos was in the summer of 2023 given a UEFA A Licence, the second-highest coaching diploma available in European soccer.
He is currently allowed to coach Santa Clara due to the fact that Portuguese football authorities have not introduced new courses since 2023, leaving the country’s professionals with no option but to go abroad to get the education required.
Botafogo will continue their search for a new manager with interim coach Claudio Cacapa in charge for Thursday’s Recopa final first leg at Copa Sudamericana champions Racing in Buenos Aires.
