Egypt sack coach Rui Vitoria after Africa Cup of Nations disappointment

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has announced the dismissal of Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria (53) on Sunday. This decision comes just a week after Egypt's disappointing elimination in the last-16 stage of the Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast.

Vitoria's contract was originally set to continue until the 2026 World Cup. However, due to Egypt's disappointing performance in the Cup of Nations, which concluded with a penalty shootout loss to the Democratic Republic of Congo after a 1-1 draw, his tenure was cut short.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced that Vitoria, along with his entire coaching staff, has been relieved of their duties. In the interim, Mohamed Youssef, a former coach of Al Ahly who led the team to victory in the African Champions League in 2013, will take charge.

In addition, the EFA stated that they will be considering the CVs of foreign coaches as they search for a permanent replacement.

Vitoria took over as Egypt's head coach in 2022, inheriting a team that was struggling after their impressive run to the Cup of Nations final in Cameroon a few months earlier.

Initially, there were signs of improvement, with Egypt displaying better attacking prowess and securing their place in the Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast. They also won their first two matches in the World Cup qualifiers.

However, their performances in the Ivory Coast were lackluster, and they only managed to reach the round of 16 through three consecutive 2-2 draws. Their hopes of winning an eighth Cup of Nations title were dashed by D.R. Congo.

Vitoria joins a list of coaches who have departed following the tournament, 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.