Former Swiss national football team coach Artur Jorge dies at 78
Artur Jorge passed away on Thursday morning in Lisbon after a long illness, surrounded by his closest relatives, according to Portuguese media reports citing his family.
Artur Jorge was appointed coach of the national team by the Swiss Football Association in 1996 due to his great success as a club coach. However, the Portuguese’s involvement with the SFA only lasted a few months and was not crowned with much success: one win, two draws and four defeats in seven games.
Controversial decision
The unconventional moustache-wearer caused quite a stir when he did not call up crowd favourite Alain Sutter and World Cup hero Adrian Knup for the European Championship in England. Despite a 1-1 draw in the opening match against the hosts, Switzerland was eliminated after the preliminary round following defeats against the Netherlands and Scotland.
The association wanted to keep Jorge on, but the Portuguese had had enough and voluntarily resigned. He then coached the national team of his home country for a year and then again various club teams. The traditional Algerian club MC Algiers was his last stop in 2015.
Final victory against the great Bayern
Jorge celebrated his greatest success as a coach in 1987 when he and FC Porto defeated Bayern Munich 2:1 in the final of the European Champions Cup, the predecessor to today’s Champions League. He also led FC Porto to three league titles, becoming French champion with Paris Saint-Germain in 1994.
Artur Jorge, who played 16 international matches for Portugal as a player himself, won the Portuguese championship four times with Benfica Lisbon.
Translated from German by DeepL/amva
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