Portugal fires coach Carlos Queiroz

Published Sep. 9, 2010 3:49 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Portuguese Football Federation has fired Carlos Queiroz as coach due to poor performances by the national team and his involvement in off-pitch incidents.

The federation said in a statement Thursday it was firing Queiroz with immediate effect, two years before the end of his contract.

Portugal has collected just one point from its first two 2012 European Championship qualifiers while Queiroz sits out a six-month suspension for having disrupted an anti-doping test before the World Cup.

Queiroz leaves with Portugal having won 15 matches, losing three and drawing eight since he took over in 2008.

Previously, he was Alex Ferguson's assistant at Manchester United for five years.