The Portuguese football coach André Villas-Boas ended his participation in the 2018 Dakar Rally on Tuesday, after suffering a back pain and being unable to complete the fourth stage, held in San Juan de Marcona.
Villas-Boas, driving a Toyota Hilux, couldn't complete one of the toughest stages of the rally, composed of a special section of 330 kilometers through canyons, rocky roads, and a stretch of up to 100 consecutive kilometers of dunes, one of the longest on this surface in the history of the Dakar.
The Portuguese, who had his compatriot Ruben Faria as co-pilot, stopped at kilometer 165 of the special section and was evacuated to the camp located in the Peruvian municipality of San Juan de Marcona, the starting and finishing point of the stage.
Villas-Boas joined the Dakar to emulate his uncle Pedro Villas-Boas, who participated in the 1982 and 1984 editions of the rally.
Before starting the rally, the Portuguese coach, who has previously managed clubs like English Chelsea, Portuguese Porto, and Russian Zenit Saint Petersburg, commented that his plan is to return to football benches from June. (EFE)