The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has signed former Benfica coach Rui Vitoria to replace Egyptian coach Ehab Galal after a very brief tenure. The deal was announced in the early hours of Tuesday, 12 July. Under Galal, the National Team played only three games: At home, they scraped a 1-0 win over Guinea, then in Malawi they sustained a shocking 2-0 defeat against Ethiopia in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Most recently, the side lost 4-1 in a friendly against South Korea played in Seoul. Nevertheless, Galal’s sacking was considered sudden, as results rarely turn around in the span of three matches. Egypt’s new manager, Vitoria, previously guided Portuguese club Benfica to two back-to-back league titles, in 2016 and 2017, as well as leading the Saudi club Al-Nassr to a league victory in 2019. His latest spell, however, was considered unsuccessful, as he managed Russian club Spartak Moscow through a number of poor league results. Before signing with Vitoria, the EFA attempted to rehire Galal’s predecessor, Carlos Quieroz, but Vitoria’s countryman was not inclined to return after what he reportedly deemed “unprofessional” conduct from the EFA. Only last year,…
