Luxembourg explained that he is not against Ancelotti in the Brazilian National Team and commented on Neymar’s absence from the call-up
Coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo wished Carlo Ancelotti success in commanding the Brazilian National Team. The 73-year-old coach also praised the Italian’s first call-up, which did not include striker Neymar, who is still looking for his best physical form at Santos. “Welcome, Ancelotti. Good luck, and may God protect you. I found his first interview very coherent, very relaxed,” Luxa began, in a video published on Tuesday (27/5) on social media. “It was an important decision. I wouldn’t call up Neymar either. He’ll be an important player if he wants to recover and be a player for the Brazilian National Team in the World Cup. Right now, he’s not ready to play a decisive game like the ones Brazil will have. I thought it was quite coherent, and he talked to the player. I would call up some players, I wouldn’t call up others, but that’s part of the discussion. The decisions were coherent and correct,” added the coach, who has been without a club for two years.
Luxemburgo also explained that he is not against foreign coaches for the Brazilian National Team after a heated debate with Walter Casagrande on the subject. On Monday (26/5), Luxa said that “part of the press” has been disregarding Brazilian coaches.
“Ancelotti is definitely very welcome. What I’ve been saying [that the problem] is not Ancelotti or a foreign coach. It’s about discussing Brazilian football. A lot of things are happening, and we’re falling behind. It’s not just about bringing in a foreign coach,” Luxemburgo concluded in the video posted on social media. Tostão explains why ‘Ancelotti’s celebrated signing is also contradictory’
On the afternoon of last Monday (26/5), Carlo Ancelotti announced the first list of players called up as the head of the Brazilian National Team. In an event that brought together hundreds of journalists at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Rio de Janeiro, the former Real Madrid manager called up 25 players for the matches against Ecuador (away) and Paraguay (at home) in the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The Brazilian National Team will debut under Ancelotti against Ecuador, away from home. The teams will face each other on June 5 (Thursday), starting at 8 pm (Brasília time), at the Monumental Stadium in Guayaquil, for the 15th round. Afterwards, the delegation will arrive in Brazil to face Paraguay on the 10th (Tuesday). The match is scheduled for 9:45 pm, at Neo Química Arena, in São Paulo, for the 16th round.
