Joao Pereira in the dugout. (Image: Getty Images)
Sporting’s newly appointed manager, Joao Pereira, was barred from entering his technical area during the Champions League clash with Arsenal due to issues with his coaching licence.
The Portuguese giants hosted the Premier League team at the Jose Alvalade Stadium on Tuesday evening, marking Sporting’s first European match since former boss Ruben Amorim left for Manchester United.
Pereira, who was expected to lead the home side after being named as Amorim’s permanent successor, was mysteriously absent from the official documentation for the game. Instead, his assistant Tiago Teixera was listed as Sporting’s head coach.
It has now been revealed that Pereira, a former Sporting defender, has not yet obtained his UEFA Pro Licence, which prevents him from officially overseeing games in UEFA competitions, including the Champions League.
Despite this, he still conducted training, held a pre-match press conference, selected the team and gave instructions from the dugout, but was not permitted to enter the technical area.
Interestingly, this is an issue Sporting had to deal with during Amorim’s tenure, as he also lacked a pro licence following his move from Portuguese rivals Braga.
Despite questions surrounding his qualifications, Pereira did not indicate that he would step down from leading the team. Instead, he relayed a message of good luck he had received from new United boss Amorim.
Ruben Amorim’s presence has been missed at Sporting. (Image: Getty Images)
During his pre-match press conference, he revealed: “I spoke with Ruben before his debut game with Manchester United and he wished me good luck. He wished me to have a good career as a coach.
“I answered: ‘If I can do a lot of the things that you have done here, then it’s not a bad start.’ He was always open and he always opened the door for us to watch him. It is a big challenge but I put pressure on myself every day and I challenge myself in every training session and in every match.”
Sporting seemed to struggle without their manager in their match against Arsenal, suffering a poor first half. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz gave the Gunners a solid lead.
Gabriel Magalhaes then scored to make it 3-0 just before half-time. However, they managed to score one goal early in the second half, before goals from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard.
The match against Arsenal came after a dream start for Pereira as Sporting’s manager. They thrashed Almarante 6-0 in the Portuguese Cup in his first match in charge.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1981180/Arsenal-Sporting-manager-touchline-area