Brazilian professional football club Internacional announced Eduardo Baptista as its new head coach on September 23.
He will take charge of the final 10 matches, tasked with lifting the team, which sits in 18th place, out of the relegation zone.
This appointment is not simply a coaching change; it is a decision that must determine whether the team remains in the 1st division through its remaining matches.
3-Line Summary
1. Baptista has become Internacional’s head coach.
2. The team is in 18th place with 28 points.
3. Survival will depend on the final 10 matches.
The New Coach Chosen by 18th-Place Internacional
Internacional announced that it had hired Eduardo Baptista, who had been leading Criciúma, as its head coach. The club said his contract runs through December 2026, while ge and UOL reported that the contract lasts until the end of the Brasileirão season. Because the two descriptions give different details about the exact terms, it is safer to use the club’s announcement—that he is contracted through December 2026—as the basis.
Coach Baptista is the successor to coach Paulo Pezzolano. Pezzolano was dismissed on the night of September 20, after which Internacional finalized the appointment of a new coach. The club also announced that assistant coach Júlio César Sciavon and performance analyst Lucas Brito Souza would join Baptista.
10 Matches Remaining, with the Goal of Top-Flight Survival
The background to this appointment is clear. According to ge, Internacional is in 18th place in the Brasileirão with 28 points and needs at least two rounds to move out of the relegation zone. UOL reported that the club has 3 fewer points than Vasco, the first team outside the relegation zone.
Baptista’s task is to keep the team from being relegated over the remaining 10 matches. ge reported that the club also included contract terms providing for a bonus if the survival objective is achieved. However, survival is not a result confirmed by the contract or announcement alone; it will be decided by the team’s results in the remaining league matches.
Leaving Criciúma and Returning to the 1st Division
Coach Baptista left Criciúma and moved to Internacional. UOL reported that Criciúma had once been top of Brazil’s 2nd division but fell to 6th place after recording only 2 wins in its most recent 10 matches. He was announced as the new coach of his new team immediately after denying reports of negotiations with Internacional.
Born on March 30, 1970, he began his managerial career at Sport in 2014. He has since managed several Brazilian clubs, including Fluminense, Palmeiras, Athletico Paranaense, Coritiba, Mirassol, and Atlético Goianiense. Since September 2022, he had not managed a Brazilian 1st-division club, making this return an even greater test as it coincides with Internacional’s battle for survival.
References
Tags #EduardoBaptista #Internacional #BrazilianFootball #Brasileirão #CoachingAppointment #Criciúma #PauloPezzolano #RelegationZone #BrazilianLeague #FootballManager #1stDivisionSurvival #PortoAlegre