Carlo Ancelotti has made history by becoming the first foreign coach to take charge of Brazil on a full-term contract. His deal runs until the 2026 World Cup, with an option for the Brazilian Football Federation to extend it through 2030. Alongside him in the national team setup was his son, David Ancelotti, who later embarked on his first independent coaching role with Brazilian club Botafogo. That journey, however, has now come to an end.
David Ancelotti Steps Away From Botafogo Role
Rio de Janeiro–based Botafogo confirmed through an official social media announcement that David Ancelotti will not continue as head coach for the 2026 season. The decision followed David’s own resignation, which Brazilian outlet Globo linked to internal disagreements within the club’s technical staff.
According to reports, tensions arose after Botafogo dismissed physical trainer Luca Guerra. David Ancelotti reportedly made it clear that he would remain in charge only if the entire backroom team stayed intact. When the club declined that condition, the Italian coach chose to step down.
Dispute Over Backroom Staff Triggers Exit
During the 2025 season, Luca Guerra had come under scrutiny due to a spate of muscle injuries among players. Sources cited by Globo suggested that training loads were considered excessive and unsuitable for Brazil’s demanding football calendar. Despite the criticism, David Ancelotti stood firmly by his staff.
Explaining the situation, Botafogo stated:
“𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝑨𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒊 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝑩𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒇𝒐𝒈𝒐’𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉. 𝑨𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝒑𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑳𝒖𝒄𝒂 𝑮𝒖𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝑳𝒖𝒊𝒔 𝑻𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒘 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒃.”
The club added that the decision was finalized following a meeting on December 17 and expressed gratitude for Ancelotti’s professionalism and dedication.
A Mixed First Chapter as Head Coach
Botafogo marked David Ancelotti’s first full-time role as a professional head coach. During his tenure, the team recorded 14 wins, 11 draws and 7 defeats in 32 matches. Although he joined after the Brazilian Serie A season had already begun, Botafogo finished sixth in the table with 63 points from 38 games.
In their farewell message, the club said:
“𝑩𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒇𝒐𝒈𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝑨𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒊 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒓. 𝑨 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏.”
With this exit, David Ancelotti’s brief but eventful spell in Brazilian club football comes to a close, even as his father continues a landmark tenure with the national team.
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