Dakar Rally-bound Villas-Boas leaves Shanghai SIPG

Shanghai SIPG have confirmed that Andre Villas-Boas has left his position as head coach.

The former Chelsea and Tottenham manager took charge of the club in November last year but was unable to guide them to silverware in 2017, as they finished second to Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao in the Chinese Super League and lost to Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League.

“The club would like to place on record our gratitude to Mr. Villas-Boas and his backroom staff for their contributions to the progress of the club,” Shanghai SIPG said in a statement.

“Mr. Villas-Boas would also like to thank the club, the Shanghai International Port Group, and the players and staff that he has worked with and wish them all the best in their future endeavours.”

Villas-Boas is now set to make a surprising move into motorsport, having agreed to drive a Toyota Hilux in the 2018 Dakar Rally.

“I spoke with my friend Alex Doringer, the manager of the KTM team, who told me that I would still need a full year’s preparation to get there [with a motorbike] and that it was better to consider doing it with a car,” the 40-year-old, a motorcycling enthusiast, said in a statement this week.

“So I got in touch with Team Overdrive and here I am.”