Shingi Matibiri, Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO – Highlanders have appointed Portuguese Baltemar Jose de Oliveira Brito as their new coach until December 2023.
Oliveira Brito who worked as Jose Mourinho’s assistant at Porto and Chelsea takes over from Mandla Mpofu who was sacked after a string of poor results.
Born in Brazil, the 70-year-old Brito spent most of career in Portugal having left Brazil in 1974 before retiring in 1988.
Oliveira Brito started coaching in 1988 taking charge of Portuguese side Varzim and has been a journeyman ever since.
The pinnacle of his career was when he won the league and the UEFA Champions League with Porto as assistant to Jose Mourinho where he was contracted between 2002 and 2004. He followed Mourinho to Chelsea and was his assistant between 2004 and 2007.
After leaving Chelsea, Oliveira Brito was employed as coach of Portuguese lower League side Belenenses in 2010 but didn’t stay long as he signed for Libyan side Al-Ittihad between 2010 and 2011.
His next stop was at Arab Emirates side Al Dhafra where he was for a year. He didn’t stay long in the United Arab Emirates as he went to his homeland in Brazil where he coached fourth tier side, Gremio Oscasco between 2012 and 2013.
He was on the move before the end of 2013 when he returned to Libya with Al-Ittihad Tripoli up to 2014.
In 2015 he joined Tunisian giants Esperance as an assistant coach before moving to AEK Athens as an assistant coach in 2016 up to 2017.
In 2018 he was at Union Titus Petange of Luxembourg before leaving the club the same year.
Currently he was unattached. Oliveira Brito brings in is and at Inter Milan comes in with his assistant Joao Martins Leao Torres.
Joel Luphahla will be the other assistant coach while Daniel Khumalo comes in as the goalkeeper’s coach.
