Scolari could keep job with support of incoming president
Luiz Felipe Scolari looks set to keep his job despite Brazil’s humiliating World Cup defeat to Germany.
Brazil’s 200-million strong population was hoping to cheer the country in the World Cup final this weekend, but must instead watch the Selecao fight for third place against Holland.
Scolari’s team bowed out of their own World Cup in the most humiliating fashion on Tuesday when they were hammered 7-1 by Germany.
Home fans left the Estadio Mineirao with just half an hour gone and some of those who remained burned a Brazil flag in protest.
But the president elect of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) believes ’Felipao’ should remain in his post.
“To me, he stays,” Marco Polo Del Nero, told the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper.
“What happened was a tactical error. That was the problem. But we all make mistakes. It can happen to anyone.
“The important thing is that he did a good job. The campaign and the preparations were good. A base exists.”
Scolari will meet with Del Nero and the current president of the CBF, Jose Maria Marin, following the match in Brasilia.
Scolari said he had no idea whether the words of the president in waiting, who takes over next April, meant he would definitely stay on.
“The first phase of my job finishes on Saturday,” Scolari told a press conference in Brasilia on the eve of the match.
“After that I will prepare my report and then I will talk with the presidents. They will look at what was right and what was wrong in what I did, but I know in the last year and a half we had several good situations.
“We have to be ashamed of the 7-1. It was a catastrophe, but I have to ask the media – is everything bad because of one result?”
Scolari’s opposite number Louis van Gaal remains convinced the World Cup was set up to favour Brazil.
Van Gaal accused FIFA of ”tricks” and a lack of ”fair play” earlier in the tournament when asked about Brazil’s potential path to the final.
Van Gaal was angry that Brazil, as winners of Group A, were allowed to play their second-round and quarter-final games before everyone else. As hosts, they also played their opening group game against Croatia first.
His comments provoked outrage from Scolari, but the Manchester United manager in waiting is standing by his words.
”I will stick to the facts,” Van Gaal told a press conference on the eve of the third-place play-off.
”The facts are that Brazil started first. And Brazil again has played first again and we played a day later.
”These are the facts. I am not going to beat around bush. Then you know what the implications are if that is the case.
”The question is, ’Why?’ I think Scolari should think about that if he wants to do that and is allowed to do that.”
Both managers are planning to make changes for Saturday night’s match in the Brazilian capital.
