Espérance de Tunis Coach José de Morais Announces Departure
Espérance de Tunis will part ways with head coach José de Morais following the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup play-off tie against Hearts of Oak. The Portuguese coach confirmed his resignation after the club’s domestic league match against Gafsa this weekend.
De Morais, who guided the Tunisian giants to a commanding 4-1 first-leg victory over Hearts of Oak, will remain in charge for the return fixture in Accra on June 6 before stepping down.
“I met the president and presented my resignation. I will continue with the match we are going to play in Accra against Hearts of Oak before leaving Espérance,” De Morais said in a statement published on the club’s official website.
While the former assistant to José Mourinho cited personal reasons for his decision, rumours of an imminent departure had been circulating for several weeks. Reports of a conflict with a player added fuel to speculation about a rift within the camp.
“I have thought a lot and evaluated the situation before taking this decision to resign, which comes for strictly personal reasons,” he added.
Espérance de Tunis are now weighing their options for a successor, with Frenchman José Anigo emerging as a potential candidate. Anigo, formerly in charge at Olympique de Marseille, is also believed to be in the running for the vacant Ivory Coast national team job.
As De Morais prepares for his final match at the helm, Espérance will be focused on securing their place in the CAF Confederation Cup group stage, while the club’s management turns its attention to finding a suitable replacement to lead the team forward.
