FILE - Brazil's national soccer team coach Tite, right, talks with his advisor Cleber Xavier, before the start of a press conference announcing his roster of players for the upcoming friendly matches against Argentina, and Saudi Arabia, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, file)
August 18, 2025 - 1:23 AM
SAO PAULO (AP) — Santos fired its coach, Cleber Xavier, after a 6-0 home loss Sunday to Vasco Da Gama that saw Neymar leave the field in tears after the match.
“The club thanks the coach for the services provided,” Santos said of Xavier, who only took over in April, “and wishes him luck in the continuation of his career.”
The result left Santos — famously the club of Brazil great Pele and now Neymar — in 15th place in the 20-team Brazilian top flight, two points above the relegation zone.
Neymar was consoled on the field by a member of Santos' backroom staff after a game that saw Vasco's Philippe Coutinho score twice.
The 33-year-old Neymar, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star, returned to his boyhood club in January after an underwhelming spell in Saudi Arabia and signed a contract extension in June keeping him at Santos until the end of the year.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
News from © The Associated Press, 2025