Custódio appointed Braga manager - but only has a Level 1 coaching qualification

Braga have appointed Custódio as their new head coach, replacing the departing Ruben Amorim.

The appointment of 36-year old Custódio comes after Amorim completed a move to Sporting, replacing Silas at the Lisbon club for a fee of €10million.

That made Amorim, who only has 10 weeks of top managerial experience to his name, the 3rd most expensive manager in history.

Custódio was an unsurprising pick to be Amorim’s replacement, president Antonio Salvador again opting to promote from within to fill the void, with Custódio previously the manager of Braga U17s.

However, Braga do face an issue with the fact that Custódio, whose stint with Braga U17s is his only managerial experience of note, only has a Level 1 coaching license, making him even less qualified than Amorim.

Amorim himself was lacking licenses, having only obtained a Level 2 badge, but that at least was sufficient for him to be officially on the bench for Braga's matches in an assistant manager position.

That's because the league regulations stipulate that each club must have, as a minimum, one level 4 coach and one level 2 coach on the touchline on match days. As a level 2 coach, Amorim was able to make the bench for Primeira Liga fixtures - but Custódio, officially, cannot.

Braga will therefore need to be a little creative to ensure their manager makes it onto the touchline when Braga take to the field, either as a second assistant manager or in another capacity.

He will ultimately, though, be restricted in his ability to give instructions from the touchline, and his ability to address the media.

Custódio. Photo author: Fanny Schertzer. License link.