July 14 – Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has quit following his country’s World Cup disaster, according to Brazilian media including leading broadcaster Globo TV.
As the country prepares to pick up the pieces after being trounced 7-1 by Germany in the semi-finals and then losing 3-0 to the Netherlands for third place, Scolari, who won the tournament in 2002, has apparently agreed to end his second spell in charge.
Brazil’s semi-final defeat was their joint-heaviest loss ever and first home competitive defeat for 39 years. Scolari’s contract was set to expire anyway after the tournament but it is reported that his resignation will be confirmed later today by the CBF, Brazil’s football federation.
During Saturday’s defeat by the Netherlands Scolari, who earlier in the tournament reportedly told those who disapproved of his tactics to “go to hell”, was booed every time his face appeared on the big screen inside the stadium in Brasilia.
Scolari first took over in 2001 and guided Brazil to World Cup success a year later, beating Germany 2-0 in the 2002 final in Japan. After spells in charge of Portugal, Chelsea, Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan and Brazilian club Palmeiras, he resumed control of the national team in 2012.
Brazil hosted and won the Confederations Cup a year ago, hammering Spain 3-0 in the final, and were thus made favourites to win a sixth World Cup on home soil. But after finishing top of their group and edging through the first two knockout rounds, it all went horribly wrong as their inadequacies were ruthlessly exposed by Germany after losing top goalscorer Neymar to injury and Thiago Silva to suspension, Scolari describing the 7-1 demolition as “the worst day of my life”.
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