ポルトガル代表サントス監督が退任、後任候補にモウリーニョ氏

【リスボンＡＦＰ＝時事】ポルトガルサッカー連盟（ＦＰＦ）は１５日、Ｗ杯カタール大会準々決勝でモロッコに敗れて敗退を喫した同国代表フェルナンド・サントス監督の退任を発表した。後任の筆頭候補にはジョゼ・モウリーニョ氏が挙げられている。（写真は、フェルナンド・サントス監督）
　ＦＰＦはサントス監督と「２０１４年９月に始まった大成功の旅路を終える」ことで合意に至ったと発表し、「次の代表監督を選出するプロセスに着手する」と続けた。
　サントス監督は０－１でモロッコに敗れた後、８年間務めた代表指揮官の座を追われることはないと、かたくなに主張していたが、クリスティアーノ・ロナウドをベンチに置くなどした大会期間中の自身の判断に、誰もが賛成していたわけではないと認めた。
　ＦＰＦが発表した映像の中で同氏は、「多大な感謝の気持ちを持って去る。チームを率いるときは難しい決断をしなければならない。私の取った選択に、誰もが満足しないのは当たり前だ」と述べた。
　ポルトガルのスポーツ紙レコルドは、２０２４年の欧州選手権予選を控える中で、モウリーニョ氏が連盟のトップターゲットだと報じている。
　ＦＰＦ側は、モウリーニョ氏が現在指揮を執っているイタリア・セリエＡのＡＳローマでのシーズンを全うできるよう、暫定的に代表チームの監督になるという契約を受け入れる考えもあると伝えている。
　１５日にローマのチーム合宿のためにポルトガル南部に入ったモウリーニョ氏は、代表指揮官の職について記者から問われたものの、コメントしなかった。
　２０２４年の欧州選手権予選は、来年３月に開幕する。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/12/16-18:31）

Fernando Santos quit as coach of Portugal on Thursday following the team's shock World Cup quarter-final loss to Morocco with colourful and controversial Jose Mourinho named as a leading candidate to take over.
The Portuguese football federation (FPF) said in a statement that an agreement was reached with the 68-year-old Santos to end the journey of great success that began in September 2014.
The FPF added that it will now launch the process to choose the next national coach.
Daily sports newspaper Record claims that Mourinho is the federation's number one target to take over ahead of qualifying for Euro 2024.
They would even reportedly entertain a deal which would see Mourinho take charge of the national team on an interim basis to allow him to see out the season with club side Roma in Italy.
Asked about the national team job by journalists late Thursday afternoon when he arrived in southern Portugal for a training camp with Roma, Mourinho made no comment.
Qualifying for Euro 2024 gets underway in March.
Portuguese coaches Rui Jorge (under-21s), Abel Ferreira (Palmeiras), Paulo Fonseca (Lille), Rui Vitoria (Egypt) and Jorge Jesus (Fenerbahce) are also among the potential candidates cited by local media.
Mourinho, 59, has yet to coach at international level but has an impressive record at some of Europe's heavyweight clubs.
He has managed Porto, Chelsea twice, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United.
Mourinho won three Premier League titles with Chelsea, two Serie A crowns at Inter and a Liga triumph at Real.
He also coached Porto to 2004 Champions League victory and repeated the feat with Inter Milan in 2010.
In May this year, he led Roma to the Europa Conference League title, the club's first ever major European trophy.
That was his fifth European title and made him the first coach to win all current UEFA competitions.
Mourinho's contract at Roma runs until 2024. The team are currently seventh in Serie A, 14 points behind leaders Napoli.
Santos had been adamant that he would not be forced out of the Portuguese job he has held for eight years despite Saturday's 1-0 defeat to the history-making Moroccans in Qatar.
He accepted, however, that not everyone agreed with his decisions during the World Cup which included dropping Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench in the later matches.
I'm leaving with the feeling of enormous gratitude, he said in a video posted on the federation's website.
When you lead a group, you have to make some difficult decisions. It's normal that not everyone is happy with the choices I made.
Appointed coach of Portugal in September 2014, Santos won the country's first major title at Euro 2016 and followed it up with the 2019 Nations League.
However, his time in charge also saw last 16 exits at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020.