Chaló then returned to Feirense in the second division for 18 months, being shown the door in December 2009 when they were fourth.[3] On 8 March 2011, he signed with F.C. Penafiel for the rest of the season, tasked with avoiding relegation.[4]
In March 2013, Chaló was appointed as the manager of S.C. Covilhã following Fanã's departure.[5] After guiding them to safety, he achieved a mid-table finish in the following season. Despite interest from clubs to acquire his services, he remained with the Leões da Serra, and guided them to fourth – their best finish since the Segunda Liga's formation – in the 2014–15 season, missing out on promotion to the Primeira Liga on goal difference.[6]
Going into the 2015–16 season, Covilhã were tipped as one of the favorites in the race for promotion, but due a run of poor results during the first half the season, his side only managed to finish in fourteenth place, 22 points less than their previous season, and he departed.[7]
In December 2016, Chaló returned to management by signing a one-year deal with Académico de Viseu FC.[8] He left in February 2018 after a run of seven games without a win,[9] and took the job at Leixões S.C. of the same league days later.[10]
^"Francisco Chaló aventura-se num novo país" [Francisco Chaló ventures into a new country]. OneFootball (in European Portuguese). 18 September 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.