Egypt Football Association (EFA) has sacked Portuguese manager Rui Vitoria over Pharaoh’s poor outing at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast after failing to win a match.
Record seven-time champions, Egypt were knocked out of the 2023 AFCON at the Round-16 stage after an 8-7 penalty shootout defeat against DR Congo in San Pedro.
Egypt were held to three successive 2-2 group-stage draws – against Mozambique, Ghana and Cape Verde – before their loss to DR Congo.
In a statement on Sunday, the Egypt Football Association (EFA) said 53-year-old Vitoria and his entire backroom staff had been dismissed, following a meeting of their board of directors.
Mohamed Youssef, a former Al Ahly coach, has been appointed as Egypt’s interim manager.
Former Benfica and Spartak Moscow manager Vitoria was appointed as Egypt’s head coach in 2022, succeeding Ehab Galal. He signed a four-year deal which would have taken him through to the 2026 World Cup.
His reign with the Pharaohs started well, winning 12 out of 14 games in charge before the start of Afcon 2023.
This included their two wins at the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Vitoria joins the list of sacked coaches at Afcon 2023.
Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi, Gambia’s Tom Saintfiet, Ghana’s Chris Hughton, Tunisia’s Jalel Kadri, Tanzania’s Adel Amrouche and Ivory Coast boss Jean-Louis Gasset have all been sacked over poor results.
