Flora have added Portuguese coach João Abel Cruz to their first-team staff, with the 32-year-old arriving ahead of the new season.
Sporting director Taavi Trasberg said the club had tracked Cruz for some time and felt the timing was right to bring him in. “He is tactically strong, ambitious and hard-working, and our discussions are always interesting,” Trasberg said. “He brings knowledge from another football culture that enriches us. I’m convinced he will adapt quickly and help us take the next step.”
Cruz outlined a pathway that began with playing locally for Sport Clube Vianense in his home city, before completing a sports science degree and a high-performance master’s at the University of Porto. He moved into coaching in youth development at Vianense, later becoming the academy’s technical coordinator between 2014 and 2018.
From 2018 to 2020, Cruz worked at the Sporting Clube de Portugal academy, overseeing one of the club’s elite academy programmes for contracted players based away from the main setup. He then relocated to the Azores, joining Sport Clube Praiense as an assistant in the Campeonato de Portugal, and taking charge as head coach the following year.
He went on to manage Juventude Desportiva Lajense and Sport Clube Barreiro across the 2022–2025 seasons, before returning for 2025-26 to Viana do Castelo to coordinate youth development and coach the U23 side.
“My first days at Flora have been very good,” Cruz said, pointing to an intensive induction process and a warm welcome from staff and players that has helped him settle quickly.
Flora’s first pre-season friendly of the year is scheduled for Saturday at 13:00, when they face Pärnu JK Vaprus in the Pärnu Football Hall.
