Sao Paulo (AFP)
The rumor of the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli on the bench of Olympique de Marseille grew thicker Monday after the Argentine resigned from his position as coach of Brazilian club Atlético Mineiro.
"The end has come. Thursday will be the last game," wrote Sampaoli, who was linked to the club until the end of the year, in a letter to supporters sent to the press by his spokesperson. .
According to several media, the former coach of the Argentine selection (2017-2018) is tipped to become the new coach of OM to replace André Villas-Boas, laid off in early February.
Sampaoli, 60, took the reins of Atlético Mineiro in March 2020 and won 25 of the 44 games played at his head (10 losses, 9 draws).
In his coaching career that began in 2002, Sampaoli also managed another Brazilian club, Santos, as well as clubs in Peru, Chile and Ecuador.
His only experience in Europe was in Spain, on the bench of Sevilla FC (2016-2017).
In his farewell missive, he said he didn't want "just to win" but "to be creative" and "to build a team which, when shown on television, would take away the sadness for a while".
According to him, "Brazilian football has an infinite talent": "it made me rediscover the beauty of the game, something that will mark me forever".
Known for his anger on the sidelines, Jorge Sampaoli will not be able to lead Atlético Mineiro for the last day of the Brazilian championship, Thursday against Palmeiras, because he was excluded during the previous day for having verbally attacked the 'arbitrator.
Atlético Mineiro occupy third place in Brasileirao and qualify for the group stage of the next Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League.
© 2021 AFP