CF Montreal exec Saputo says he didn’t want to make rash decision in Donadel firing

CF Montreal head coach Marco Donadel looks on prior to an MLS soccer game against the Philadelphia Union in Montreal, Saturday, April 11, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

CF Montréal executive Luca Saputo says he didn’t want to make a rash decision when it came to the dismissal of Marco Donadel as the club spoke for the first time since the unusual sequence of events that led to the head coach’s firing.

The club announced Donadal’s firing in a release Sunday, a day after a 2-1 loss to last-place Philadelphia Union in its home opener.

In waiting until a day after the demoralizing loss to make the firing official, the club still managed to create headlines when it declined to host a post-match press conference Saturday. While they offered no additional comment, many speculated that Donadel’s time was up just seven games into the season.

“I did not want to make any decisions in the heat of the moment … we had a very sane discussion about the situation," Saputo, CF Montréal’s managing director for recruitment and sporting methodology, said at a press conference Monday. “It was not an easy decision, but we had outlined specific goals at the end of last season relating to style of play and player progression, and we saw very quickly that those objectives were not being met.”

Saputo added he is accepting the responsibility that comes with firing a coach so early in the season, as well as errors in judgment that may have led to Donadel’s permanent appointment after the 2025 season.

In the interim, assistant coach Philippe Eullaffroy has been appointed caretaker manager, but Saputo confirmed that he is not currently under consideration for the permanent job.

Donadel is the latest in a long line of coaching changes at the club.

CF Montréal has had 11 permanent head coaches since joining Major League Soccer in 2012. No team in any of the five major North American sports leagues — NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, and MLS — has had more coaching turnover.

Regardless, the club doesn’t believe that questionable history will make finding the right coach any more difficult.

“We don’t have to convince anyone to come here. If you look at my phone, you’ll see plenty of CVs that have already come in since yesterday,” said Saputo. “We have a club and a city that is very interesting and attractive for coaches.”

Montreal will now turn its attention towards finding a permanent manager, something they hope to accomplish by the FIFA World Cup break at the end of May to give the new coach nearly two months to integrate with the group and get the players on the same page.

This self-imposed deadline will be even more crucial now that the majority of players will not be competing at the World Cup, except for a few still in contention for a call-up.

Saputo was also very clear about the kind of profile the club is looking for, noting that experience in MLS or a similar league is not the only requirement. The last four coaches in Montreal have had vastly different tactical and management philosophies, leading to different personnel demands and an apparent disconnect between the front office and the technical staff.

“We’re confident in the squad we have, but we haven’t been able to see the real quality of the group yet,” Saputo said. “There were some instances of tactical decisions or player usage in roles that were difficult to understand, and that ultimately falls on Marco.

“We want to play an attacking style of football with the ball; we want to be able to build out from the back and put our best players in the best position to be successful.”

The team’s inner turmoil is not lost on fans. Attendance at Stade Saputo has been at a steady decline in recent years, despite MLS enjoying record-breaking season ticket sales over the last two years largely due to Lionel Messi’s arrival.

Only 14,000 people attended Saturday’s home opener, and boos were heard in the crowd at full-time.

“As much for hardcore fans like myself or some of the younger ones (in the Collectif Impact Montreal supporters’ group) as regular everyday fans, you’re down to the last of us,” said Mathieu Charron, longtime fan and prominent member of the 1642MTL supporters’ group. “There’s always going to be a core of fans that will be there, but there are a lot of fans that left … and want to spend both their time and leisure money elsewhere.”

After six games on the road to start the season, Montreal (1-5-0) now only has two more back-to-back matches away from Stade Saputo. They still may be able to salvage their season with the remaining home-field advantage, but it all depends on how soon a new coach arrives, and if they are the right fit for the job.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2026.

Elias Grigoriadis, The Canadian Press