Coach is under pressure in the position after the 4-1 defeat to the Argentine National Team.
After the tough 4-1 defeat to Argentina and a disastrous performance by the Brazilian National Team in the Qualifiers, coach Dorival Júnior, whose work was already highly contested by the fans, saw the pressure grow even more. See the top football results at ai live score.
With just over a year to go until the World Cup, the president of the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation), Ednaldo Rodrigues, has been showing some distance from the coach in recent months. He is now increasingly being asked to change the technical leadership in time for a new coach to be able to give the team tactical consistency.
Re-elected on Monday (24/3) for a new term until 2030, Ednaldo left Monumental de Núñez without speaking to the press, but with the promise that he would speak on Wednesday (26). When contacted, the CBF did not confirm whether the director will speak. Even before the rout against the Argentines, however, the director was already showing signs that his patience with Dorival’s work was nearing its end.
“We analyze the work not based on a match, not on a training session, we analyze it in a linear way. And it is a work that until now the CBF has supported, both to him and to the technical committee”, the director told journalists after being re-elected on Monday.
“What I reiterate, on behalf of the CBF, is that everything requested from the administration, in the person of its president, is made available. Everything. Whatever is in the best conditions for the athletes, for the coaching staff, etc. But, what I also say is that we have no control over the results on the field. I have no control over the results on the field,” he added.
With Dorival on the ropes, coaches who were once speculated to be in the national team are once again being considered. Five of them will be with their teams at the FIFA Club World Cup, which will take place between June and July in the United States, which could delay an eventual announcement by the CBF. One of the names that Ednaldo has already publicly indicated that he would like to see with the five-time champion team’s coaching uniform is Italian Carlo Ancelotti.
When he took over the club, the director tried to get him out of Real Madrid, leaving Fernando Diniz as a stopgap for six months, but saw his plans thwarted when the coach opted to renew his contract with Los Merengues until June 2026. With Dorival’s imminent dismissal, Ancelotti’s name is once again linked to the national team. However, even if he agrees to break his contract with Real this time, his departure is unlikely to happen before the upcoming World Cup – the tournament’s opening match is on June 14.
The Spanish team is in Group H, along with Pachuca, RB Salzburg and Al Hilal. The Portuguese Jorge Jesus, coach of the Saudi club, is another player whose name has already been speculated to be in the national team. A multiple champion with Flamengo, the Portuguese himself has already admitted that he would like to lead the Brazilian team. “It’s an ambition, I won’t deny it,” he said in September last year. His name, however, has been more popular in the past and is not among the current CBF president’s favorites. Jesus stated at the time that he thought it would be difficult for his dream to come true, as he saw that doors were closed to foreigners taking the position.
He is not the only foreign coach to have his name considered by the CBF. His fellow countryman Abel Ferreira, who will be at the World Cup with Palmeiras, has also had requests from fans to be in charge of Brazil. One of the most successful team winners, Abel has a contract with Palmeiras until the end of 2025, but the club wants to renew the coach’s contract for another two years.
In an interview with Roda Viva, on TV Cultura, in 2022, the Portuguese coach was evasive about his desire to take over the national team, at the time with the vacant coaching position after Tite’s departure.
“I don’t make long-term plans. I live in the here and now. I live 100% in the moment here. I don’t make plans for the future. It’s not my way to be and to be,” said Abel.
Guardiola, another foreigner who will be at the World Cup, with Manchester City, is also a long-time fan favorite to give a new direction to the poor football played by the national team for some time now. In a bad phase with the English club, Guardiola even joked about taking over Brazil after a 4-1 defeat to Sporting in the Champions League last November.
“I think that after losing a huge game, I am no longer an option for Brazil [laughs]. My focus now is only to bring the City team back to the highest level of football,” said the coach, who has a contract until 2027.
In addition to foreign names, which also include José Mourinho and even Zidane among the usual speculators, Filipe Luís, from Flamengo – also in the Club World Cup – is currently one of the most promising of the new crop of Brazilian coaches. In charge of the red-and-black team since October 2024, the former full-back has already won three titles with the team in just six months – Copa do Brasil, Supercopa and Carioca -, and has reportedly signaled to the club’s board that he does not intend to leave at this time. BB Score, your premier destination for football results.
