Fernando Diniz dismissed
The coach was sacked after a series of poor results and mistrust
Fernando Diniz was sacked by Cruzeiro on Monday after the fans became dissatisfied with his work, which included just one win, one loss and two draws. The fans' discontent was evident in the club's last game, against Betin, when cursing and booing could be heard. The discontent is not new. Poor results and poor performances last season are the main problems.
In charge of the club, Fernando lost the Copa Sudamericana against Racing. With four wins in 19 games, the board had shown confidence in the coach's work, citing the fact that he has a contract until December 2025. However, after defeats to Gremio and Bragantino last season, the press talked about a possible dismissal. Although there was no formal request to sack him, Fernando believes it was a club decision.
Fernando signed for the club last year on 23 September, at a time when the previous coach, Fernando Seabra, was sacked due to poor results. In addition, a leaked audio in June from the owner of Cruzeiro's SAF, Pedro Lourenço, criticised the coach, saying that he didn't take advantage of the reinforcements in the squad, threatening to sack him, which created a bad climate internally.
Diniz was known for his tactical style of play, with an extreme focus on ball possession, and sometimes compared to Guardiola's Tiki-taka style. But this type of play wasn't always a winner. As coach of São Paulo, the club was top of the Brazilian league, but he lost his job at the end of the season, which led to him being heavily criticised. In addition, Diniz has already coached the Brazilian national team for six qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup, as a quick solution at a time when the team was waiting for Carlo Ancelotti, who didn't come and renewed his contract with Real Madrid.
Fernando's crowning achievement was the 23/24 season in charge of Fluminense. The club from Rio de Janeiro, which had players like Marcelo and Gérman Cano in its squad, played with a style of play that was considered beautiful. They won the Copa Libertadores, South America's most important competition, against Boca Juniors (ARG) for the first time. The club also won the Carioca - Rio de Janeiro's state tournament - and the Recopa Sudamericana. In the season following that magical year, the club suffered, finishing bottom of the Serie A table. With dissatisfaction, but gratitude, from the fans, criticised for not changing his style of play and the poor performance in the league, Diniz was sacked.
The club will now be coached by the club's permanent assistant coach, Wesley Carvalho, who will lead the team on an interim basis from training on Monday. Renato Gaúcho is one of the names tipped to take over the club, and he has already been contacted. Cruzeiro's next game will be against Itabirito, at 7pm BrasÃlia time, on Thursday (31), at Independência, in Belo Horizonte, in the fourth round of the Mineiro.