Brasileiro claims first coach

Early exit for Nelsinho Baptista

Sport Recife became the first side in this season’s Campeonato Brasileiro to part company with their coach. On Wednesday, Nelsinho Batista was shown the door after only three rounds in the league. Baptista led the northeast club to glory in the Copa do Brasil in 2008. Things were going well until Sport were unlucky to go out to Palmeiras in the first phase of the playoffs in this year’s Libertadores.

Sport have drawn one and lost two of their three championship games. The final straw seems to have been on Sunday when they went down 3-2 at home to Atlético Mineiro and Baptista publically rebuked some of his senior players. Sport take on Botafogo in Rio at the weekend but have yet to announce a replacement for Baptista.