City of Birmingham Rockets can confirm that Nuno Rodrigues will not lead our Men’s First Team this season after being unable to obtain the required work permit.
We are extremely disappointed with this outcome and would like to place on record our profound thanks to Nuno for his patience whilst we have worked tirelessly to resolve this issue.
Unfortunately, having exhausted every option available to us, we are left with no option but to mutually agree to terminate our agreement with Coach Rodrigues.
Rockets CEO, Robert Palmer, said: “Having spent several weeks exploring the visa options with Nuno, we are disappointed that our efforts have been unsuccessful, despite the desire of both the club and Nuno to make it happen.
“With the season now upon us, we recognise that we could not wait any longer to have our Head Coach in place for the exciting year we have ahead of us.
“Having spent time with Nuno, I have no doubt of the success he would have helped the club achieve.
“Nuno is a diligent, hard-working, knowledgable and talented coach who would have made a positive impact not just with our first team, but across the Rockets youth programmes. I thank him for his understanding of the situation during what has been a frustrating time for both Nuno and the club management.
“The first team goals remain the same for the season ahead. We believe the quality of our roster both on and off the court is outstanding, and we are proud of the meticulous way the players have approached each game so far.
“Whilst this news is not what we had hoped for, we will continue to strive to develop high standards across the club with the experience, knowledge and quality of the players and coaching staff; who represent Rockets with the pride and passion befitting of our organisation.”
We would like to wish Nuno every success in his future endeavours.
The club will announce this season’s coaching staff in due course.