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Jose Mourinho turns down Portugal proposal over head coach role

Jose Mourinho turns down Portugal proposal over head coach role

Jose Mourinho recently emerged as a leading candidate to take over as Portugal’s head coach, with Fernando Santos’ future up in the air following their disappointing World Cup exit.

Santos has stepped down from his role, but Portugal must continue their search for his successor with Mourinho rejecting their job offer, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Portugal’s elimination at the quarter-final stage after falling to a 1-0 defeat against Morocco led to Santos’ calling time on his time in charge.

His World Cup campaign was littered with controversies ranging from his decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo for their last 16 tie against Switzerland to the former Manchester United man reportedly threatening to leave Qatar.

However, Santos’ decision to let Goncalo Ramos lead the line instead of Ronaldo was vindicated, with the Benfica hitman grabbing a famous hat-trick in a 6-1 victory.

Portugal were one of the most prolific teams in the tournament up until the quarter-finals. However, while Santos’ Ramos card worked a treat against the Swiss, the striker was unable to replicate his earlier performances. Ronaldo, who replaced him, failed to rescue his side.

With Santos now gone, Mourinho would have been the perfect replacement, but the AS Roma manager has informed the Portuguese football federation of his intention to remain in Rome. 

They were willing to allow the 59-year-old take charge of both club and country, but Mourinho is not interested in a shared role with the national team, despite being reportedly intrigued by the idea.


Roma have also insisted that they are unwilling to share Mourinho, who reportedly earns around €7 million a year at the club, with the Portuguese national team.

The Serie A outfit will also demand a compensation fee if another club or team approaches Mourinho, even though there is no termination clause in his contract.

Roma have yet to be approached by anyone from the Portuguese Federation, so they consider the matter closed. 

However, while Mourinho has shut down their approach, his stance may change in the summer, especially if there is still a vacancy.

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