June 7 – Brazil are still keen on landing Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti as their new head coach, the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) Ednaldo Rodrigues reconfirmed.
“He remains the Plan A and in this trip with the selection in Europe we can have greater clarity,” said Rodrigues, whose Brazil will play two friendlies against Guinea in Spain and against Senegal in Portugal this month.
“The trip will be very significant for us (to decide the future coach). I intend to talk to Ancelotti and the president of Real Madrid. Only after that will it be possible to say if it will happen or not.”
Ancelotti still has a contract until 2024 in the Spanish capital, but the Brazilians had hoped that Madrid’s semi-final exit in the Champions League would prompt the Italian to depart his club and be open to the CBF’s overtures. However, Ancelotti said he will honour the year left on his contract.
“The issue, for sure, is not the fine. The problem is the contract and nobody wants to break it,” he said. “We are invested in this idea and we are doing everything in our power to make it work and become a reality.”
Rodrigues also said he will talk to Madrid chairman Florentino Perez, but the reality is that Brazil remain without a coach following their heartbreaking penalty shootout exit at the hands of Croatia in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. It was the fifth time that the Seleçao departed the global finals following elimination by a European team.
Hence, the idea of the CBF of breaking with tradition and appointing the first foreign coach for the national team, which is still a symbol of the nation. Foreign coaches have gained greater respect in Brazil following Jorge Jesus’s victory procession with Flamengo in 2019.
In March, Brazil lost their first outing following the World Cup against Morocco 2-1. Interim coach Ramon Menezes will however return for the friendly matches in June.
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