Vitor Pereira didn’t come to Saudi Arabia to get pushed off his soapbox.
Pereira, head coach of Saudi soccer club Al Ahli, had a heated exchange with his own team’s press officer during a press conference, following a defeat to local rivals Al Ittihad. The entertainingly bizarre scene was captured on video.
Pereira was understandably upset when Al Ahli press officer tried to tell him what he could and couldn’t say when responding to a reporter’s question. Pereira scolded the pushy PR man and even tried to walk out of the press conference at one point.
Pereira was the head coach at FC Porto from 2011-13, leading the Portuguese giant to the Primeira Liga (Portugal’s first division) titles in both seasons. The highly regarded tactician made a lucrative move to Al Ahli last summer.
The press conference is a soccer coach’s domain. It is here that he (or she) advances his agenda by delivering well-timed and well-crafted messages to players, club directors, fans, opponents and anyone else in the general public who cares to listen. Like any celebrity coach, Pereira won’t let a press officer tell him how to use the tools of his trade.
See Pereira’s explosive press conference in the video below.
Have a question for Marcus Kwesi O’Mard? Send it to him via Twitter at @NESNsoccer or @mkomard, his Facebook page or NESN Soccer’s Facebook page or send it here.
