Vasco ended Renato Gaúcho’s spell on Thursday night, closing a short run that began at the start of March and lasted 22 matches. The club’s coach was out, and by then the question was no longer why the change came, but how quickly it had been building.
Renato Gaúcho answered in public the same day. He thanked Pedrinho for the chance to lead the club, praised the players for their work in training and matches, and said Vasco’s squad was made up of men with whom he had always had a very good relationship. He also thanked the staff for the care and respect he said they showed him, adding that Vasco would always have a place in his heart.
His numbers explain why the departure felt abrupt but not sudden. In 22 matches, Vasco won nine, drew six and lost seven, scoring 33 goals and conceding 31. That record left the club in a middling place, and the decision arrived after the direction had already been discussing his situation before Thursday’s announcement.
The friction was not hidden. Some players were uncomfortable with Renato Gaúcho’s public criticism in recent press conferences, first after a comment about Colombian players before the break for the World Cup and later when the criticism widened to the bench and the lack of squad options. What bothered part of the dressing room was not just that he was demanding more; it was that the remarks moved beyond performance and into the limits of the squad itself, with one line in particular creating friction with Marino Hinestroza.
That leaves Vasco with the immediate task that now hangs over every coaching change: naming the next man. A fan poll on ge had already put Vojvoda ahead of the rest, but that is not the same as an appointment, and the club has not confirmed a replacement. For now, Renato Gaúcho has gone, the seat is empty, and the next decision will say more about Vasco’s direction than the one that ended his stay.
