Poland fire manager Santos after poor start in Euro 2024 qualifier

Fernando Santos, manager of Poland, was fired after the team’s poor start in the 2024 UEFA European Championship qualifying tournament, the Polish Football Association (PZPN) announced on Wednesday.

“I would like to thank coach Santos for working with our national team, and I wish him good luck in his next sports challenges,” PZPN President Cezary Kulesza said in a statement. “The selection of a new coach is now a priority for the PZPN management board, so we will soon announce when the presentation of the new coach will take place.”

Santos took over the Polish national team in January 2023 and led them through six games with three wins and three losses. The highlight of his tenure was the 1-0 win over Germany in the friendly in June, but Poland lost three of the five other Euro 2024 qualifying games, which mattered much more.

Having lost to Albania 2-0, Moldova 3-2 and the Czech Republic 3-1, Poland are currently fourth in Group E. Even if they win all three remaining games, their passage to the final qualifying tournament will depend on how the other teams perform.

“Although we end our relation here, I am thankful for having led the Polish national team, and I wish the best to Poland and its people who welcomed me so well while I lived here,” Santos said in the statement.

Before managing Poland, Santos worked with Portugal for eight years. He led the team to win the European Championship title in 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in 2019. The team led Group H in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and beat Switzerland 6-1 in the Round of 16. However, the 1-0 loss to Morocco in the quarterfinals drew a lot of criticism of Santos, who was later dismissed.