Jair Ventura · Biography

On 13 August 2016, Botafogo named as head coach a man who had until then worked in the background at the club. Jair Zaksauskas Ribeiro Ventura was born on 14 March 1979 in Rio de Janeiro and is the son of Jairzinho, a world champion with Brazil in 1970. That appointment gave him his first job as a head coach in Brazil’s Série A. Over the following decade he managed clubs in Brazil’s first and second divisions.

A striker at smaller clubs

Before coaching, Jair Ventura played as a striker. He was at São Cristóvão from 1999 to 2000, Bonsucesso in 2001 and Bangu in 2002. Later in 2002 he moved to French side Mulhouse, where he stayed until 2003. Back in Brazil he played for Mesquita in 2004. He then spent 2004–2005 at TP Akwembe before joining America in 2005 and Madureira in 2006. He retired young and never played for a major club.

Learning the trade at Botafogo

His second career began at Botafogo. He joined as a fitness coach in 2008 and in 2009 became an assistant to Ney Franco. On 27 January 2010 he made his debut as caretaker coach, with a 2-1 win over Tigres do Brasil in the Campeonato Carioca. After Joel Santana arrived he went back to being an assistant, and he later spent two years in charge of the under-20 side. He was on the coaching staff when the club won the Carioca titles of 2010 and 2013. He left Botafogo in 2013 and had a short spell as an assistant at CSA. In 2015 he returned to Botafogo, who won Série B that year.

Botafogo: from promotion to the Libertadores

After taking charge in August 2016, his team won 11 of 15 games in the Brasileirão. A win over Grêmio secured a place in the 2017 Copa Libertadores. That year he was named the breakthrough coach of the Brazilian championship. In the 2017 Libertadores, Botafogo knocked out Colo-Colo and Olimpia in the qualifying rounds. They then came through a group that included Atlético Nacional and Estudiantes and beat Uruguay’s Nacional in the round of 16. Grêmio eliminated them in the quarter-finals, with a 0-0 draw at the Nilton Santos and a 1-0 defeat in Porto Alegre. He announced his departure on 22 December 2017. His record was 99 games, with 45 wins, 23 draws and 31 defeats.

Santos and Corinthians in 2018

In December 2017 he agreed to coach Santos for the 2018 season. He was sacked on 23 July 2018 after 39 games. On 6 September 2018 he took over at Corinthians and led them to the final of the 2018 Copa do Brasil, which they lost to Cruzeiro. The club dismissed him on 3 December 2018, after 19 games.

Sport, Chapecoense, Juventude and Goiás

Sport appointed him on 24 August 2020 and stayed in Série A that year. He left on 5 April 2021 after 41 games. On 31 May 2021 he joined Chapecoense, who sacked him on 2 August 2021 after 14 games without a win. Juventude hired him on 19 October 2021, and on 9 December that year he secured their place in Série A. On 14 April 2022 he moved to Goiás, where he finished the season after 42 games in charge.

Atlético Goianiense and further spells

On 24 July 2023 he joined Atlético Goianiense, who were in Série B. That year he won promotion with a 3-0 win over Guarani on the closing matchday. On 7 April 2024 he won the Campeonato Goiano and was named the competition’s best coach. The club dismissed him on 21 June 2024, after 50 games. On 17 July 2024 he went back to Juventude, where he stayed until 26 October 2024 and took charge of 20 games. Goiás appointed him again on 7 December 2024 and sacked him in March 2025 after 18 games. On 28 March 2025 he joined Avaí, where he took charge of 27 games before leaving in September that year.

Vitória and the Copa do Nordeste

Vitória appointed him on 24 September 2025, with the team fighting relegation. They secured their place in the 2025 Série A with a 1-0 win over São Paulo. In June 2026 he won the Copa do Nordeste with the Bahia club after beating Fortaleza in the final. It was Vitória’s first title in the competition for 16 years. He was dismissed in November 2026.