First Club World Cup manager set to be sacked before group stage has even finished and it will cost millions to fire him

It appears we are close to witnessing the first managerial casualty of this summer's Club World Cup, although the coach in question is reportedly refusing to waive any salary if he is sacked.

The first-ever 32-team Club World Cup got underway this month as Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates came up against Egyptian Premier League side Al Ahly in what was an underwhelming opening game.

A number of clubs have since qualified for the last 16 stage of the competition, including Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Juventus, Botafogo, Chelsea, Benfica and Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.

FC Porto, on the other hand, failed to record a single win in Group A as they recorded two draws and a loss.

Their underwhelming performances in America have been met with anger. In fact, Porto's players and staff, including club president Andre Villas Boas, were confronted by a group of around 50 furious fans as they landed at the Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport.

It is said the police were forced to fire rubber bullets to disperse the crowd before the Porto squad were escorted through the VIP terminal.

Now, a report from Portuguese outlet CMTV via Record has suggested manager Martin Anselmi will be fired from his role at the Estadio do Dragao, with the Argentine 'already aware' of the termination of his contract, which ends in June 2027.

Anselmi, who succeeded Vitor Bruno in January this year, led Porto to a third-place finish in the Primeira Liga after they were eliminated in the Europa League knockout round play-offs following defeat to Roma.

Another Portugal-based publication A Bola, meanwhile, claim that no final decision has been made on Anselmi's future, although a meeting is currently in place to discuss his role.

It is said Anselmi, 39, will refuse to waive any of the remaining money he is owed for an early termination of his contract – a decision that would cost Porto around €7.1 million [£6 million].

Ivan Marcano is consoled by Martin Anselmi after their 4-4 draw against Al Ahly. Image credit: Getty

The report goes on to claim that the future of sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta is also in question as club president Andre Villas-Boas is set to meet Porto 's sporting management to decide Anselmi's fate.

Porto began their Club World Cup campaign with a 0-0 draw against Palmeiras, who have qualified for the last 16. They suffered a 2-1 defeat against Inter Miami in their second game before picking up another point in an entertaining 4-4 draw with Al Ahly.