In the aftermath of their early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, Egypt has decided to terminate the contract of Portuguese manager Rui Vitoria. The Pharaohs were eliminated at the last-16 stage after a disappointing 8-7 penalty shootout defeat against DR Congo in San Pedro.
Egypt faced challenges throughout the tournament, struggling to secure a victory in any of their matches. The team’s difficulties were compounded by an early injury to their talismanic captain, Mohamed Salah. The journey included three consecutive 2-2 draws in the group stage against Mozambique, Ghana, and Cape Verde before the ultimate loss to DR Congo.
In an official statement released on Sunday, the Egypt Football Association (EFA) announced the dismissal of 53-year-old Vitoria and his entire backroom staff, following a board of directors meeting.
As an interim measure, Mohamed Youssef, a former Al Ahly coach, has been appointed as Egypt’s interim manager. However, the EFA has indicated that they will also consider the profiles of foreign coaches in their search for a permanent replacement.
Rui Vitoria, the former Benfica and Spartak Moscow manager, took charge of the Egyptian national team in 2022, succeeding Ehab Galal. Initially, his tenure had a promising start, winning 12 out of 14 games before the commencement of AFCON 2023, including two victories in the early stages of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Vitoria’s dismissal is part of a larger trend, as several other coaches, including Djamel Belmadi of Algeria, Tom Saintfiet of Gambia, Chris Hughton of Ghana, Jalel Kadri of Tunisia, Adel Amrouche of Tanzania, and Jean-Louis Gasset of Ivory Coast, have also departed from their respective teams following AFCON 2023.
