Coach Artur Jorge, champion of the Libertadores and Brasileirão with Botafogo, may be leaving the club. The coach’s destination would be Al-Rayyan, from Qatar, who has already formalized the proposal.
According to ESPN, the Portuguese treats the change of scenery for 2025 as a reality and spoke about the subject on the plane back to Rio de Janeiro, after being eliminated in the Intercontinental Cup.
Even before talking to John Textor, Jorge already seemed convinced by the multimillion-dollar proposal from the Arab world. Glorioso, in turn, would have difficulty covering the amounts.
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What could Artur Jorge’s new team be?
Founded in 1967, Al-Rayyan plays its games at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, with a capacity of 25,000 fans.
The best performance in the championship was the 1992 Champions Club, when it came in 3rd place. They are currently in 8th place in the Q-League, the country’s first division, with 13 points from 11 matches.
The team has Brazilians in the squad, such as Roger Guédes, Gabriel Pereira, Thiago Mendes and Paulo Victor.
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Artur Jorge’s brilliant season at Botafogo
From unknown to idol of black and white fans, Artur Jorge could become one of the most successful coaches in Botafogo’s history in less than a year in charge of Glorioso.
The Portuguese led the team to the unprecedented title of the Copa Libertadores da América and the Brasileirão, after 29 years.
Artur Jorge’s numbers in Alvinegro:
- 55 games
- 31 wins
- 15 draws
- 9 defeats
All of Artur Jorge’s clubs in his career
- FC Famalicão
- Tirsen
- Limianos
- SC Braga
- Botafogo
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How long does Artur Jorge’s contract with Botafogo last?
Artur Jorge’s contract with Botafogo runs until the end of 2025. The Rio club invested around R$10.9 million to remove the coach from Braga, from Portugal.
Despite adapting to the club, Artur’s stay in charge of Glorioso will depend on several factors.
In addition to the salary increase in a possible renewal, the coach wants to continue with a competitive team, with investments in the next transfer window.
What did Artur Jorge say about the future?
In an interview with the Portuguese newspaper ‘A Bola’, after the Libertadores and Brasileiro titles, in addition to the Intercontinental dispute, the Botafogo coach did not guarantee his stay for 2025.
– I have everything open. The proposals that exist, mainly from the Arab world, are very tempting from a financial point of view, but they appeared even before Peñarol (Libertadores semi-final), they are proposals that have been around for some time and I never looked into them much, because I wanted to win titles and had a very big focus on the Libertadores and the Brazilian Championship. We have to think and see how we are going to decide the future – said the Portuguese.
– At this point, everything is open. I have a contract with Botafogo. There are, in fact, some possibilities and proposals on the table. Both Cajuda, who is my agent, and Botafogo, are aware of all this. Everything will work out for the good of everyone. Now, I come to Portugal to enjoy my family and be home to rest after a super intense year. After that, we will understand what the beginning of January will be like for the start of a new season, wherever we are. – added Artur Jorge.
– I understand that there can be a lot of talking. My agent has always shown me that there were offers to leave. The project is the most important thing, which players we will have, whether it will be a year of many changes with departures. We created a very strong team. We haven’t talked about it yet. I had a difficult week, because we went straight to Qatar to play the Intercontinental.
The tendency is that, in the next few days, Artur Jorge will have a meeting with John Textor, to negotiate the salary increase.
In 2025, Botafogo will compete in the Brazilian Super Cup, the Recopa Sul-Americana, the Campeonato Carioca, the Libertadores, the Copa do Brasil, the Brasileirão and the Club World Cup.
