Sao Paulo (AFP)

With few titles in his pocket and controversies full of suitcases, Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli is expected shortly in Marseille, after saying goodbye Thursday to the Brazilian championship which he finished in third place with Atlético Mineiro.

At the head of the Belo Horizonte club since March 2020, the former Argentina and Chile coach failed 3 points behind the champion, Flamengo (71 pts).

After breaking his contract which ran until the end of the year, nothing is holding him back from signing for OM, with whom he found an agreement until June 2023, according to a source in his entourage.

It remains to be seen when this contract will be initialed: Marseille, without a titular coach since the dismissal of the Portuguese André Villas-Boas in early February, remains for the time being managed by the interim Nasser Larguet, director of his training center, before two crucial Ligue 1 matches in the coming days, Sunday against Lyon (9:00 p.m.) then Wednesday in Lille, leader of the standings.

If Sampaoli (60) flies to France in the next few hours, as is his intention according to his relatives, he risks being subjected to medical isolation for seven days on his arrival, which would delay his debut on the Marseille bench, no doubt until Sunday March 7 when OM must face Canet-en-Roussillon (N2) in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France.

Remote beginnings that will take this bloody and meticulous technician away from the edges of the field, where he has been talked about a lot in Brazil.

- Unruly -

Thursday evening, for his last match, Sampaoli was not on the bench to see Atlético Mineiro dominate Palmeiras at home (2-0): during the previous day, he had entered the field to s' take it to the referee, before being logically excluded.

The winner of the Copa America 2015 with Chile was however present Thursday evening in the stand in Belo Horizonte where he received from the hands of its president, Sergio Coelho, a black and white striped jersey of the club flocked with the number 45, that is to say the number of matches spent coaching the "Galo" (26V, 9N, 10D).

"We would like him to take it wherever he goes, in France or Argentina, so that he always remembers the family he has at Atlético Mineiro," Mr Coelho said in a video released. by the club.

From his two years at Santos then at Atlético Mineiro, “Sampa” will be remembered as a daring, creative coach, but too often at the center of controversy on and off the pitch.

Jorge Sampaoli has seen red once and has been cautioned 23 times in his two seasons - twice as many as the second most unruly manager, according to a tally from Globo Esporte.

His almost constant verbal clashes with the referees and his spat with his leaders have often tarnished the image of this esthete of the beautiful game, vice-champion in 2019 with Santos.

"(Atlético Mineiro) was sometimes the most attractive team to watch in the entire Brazilian league, even if this model seized up in the home stretch of the championship," Leonardo Bertozzi told AFP. ESPN commentator.

- Birthday party and cluster -

Wherever he has gone, Sampaoli has not stopped urging his employers to attract expensive recruits ... to the point of boring them.

"He always leaves the clubs in a difficult way. He's a great coach but he always ends up having an unhappy end," said former Santos president José Carlos Peres at the end of 2019.

Bis repetita at Atlético Mineiro.

Relations with management began to deteriorate in September when Sampaoli asked for more reinforcements and payment of his players' salary arrears.

The crisis worsened in November.

Sampaoli, some of his assistants and players attended a birthday party at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A few days later, a cluster (source of infection, editor's note) broke out at the club, contaminating the coach, his assistants and several players.

Yet another misconduct for the bubbling Argentinian technician ...

But this assertive character should not harm him in the eyes of Marseille supporters, always nostalgic for his compatriot and equally unpredictable mentor, Marcelo Bielsa (2014-2015).

© 2021 AFP