Martín Anselmi is no longer coach of Botafogo. The Rio club decided to fire the Argentine this Sunday (22), even after the victory against RB Bragantino this Saturday (21), in the Brasileirão.
In a statement, Botafogo thanked the coach and cited their appreciation for him, but highlighted that they saw no progress in the work of the Argentine and his coaching staff.
“Although we have great appreciation for Anselmi and his coaching staff, as well as a lot of respect for their dedication and work ethic, we have not seen the evolution, progress and results that we expect from a champion club, and we believe that a change is necessary to achieve our goals this season and beyond. Therefore, the Club will follow other paths in its sporting project”, the note mentions.
Rodrigo Bellão, coach of the U20 team, will take charge of the squad on an interim basis. The black and white squad will return to training next Tuesday (24), at the Botafogo CT.
Anselmi couldn’t resist the bad start to the season. Glorioso did not qualify for the Carioca final phase, fell in the third preliminary phase of the Libertadores and had a poor start to the Brazilian Championship.
In the national competition, Botafogo has just six points in five games and is close to the relegation zone.
In his first experience in Brazilian football, Anselmi ends his work at Botafogo with 39% points success, with six wins, two draws and nine defeats in 17 games.
Anselmi’s work was hampered by the financial and institutional crisis experienced by Botafogo. Prevented from registering new athletes between December 2025 and February this year, the technical committee was slow to have reinforcements available. Medina, Edenílson and Ferraresi, for example, did not compete in the Libertadores.
Injuries also impacted work, and Anselmi had to improvise in several roles. In this scenario, the coach was unable to put into practice the promise of an offensive team, as well as victories.
