Brazil does not need foreigners to train its national football team, said President Lula.© AFP
Brazil does not need foreigners to train its national football team, President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva said on Tuesday after the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid to direct the Selecao. Italian Ancelotti became the first non-Brazilian since 1965 on Monday to take the reins of the Brazilian national team, which he hoped to lead to the glory of the World Cup next year. “Honestly, I have nothing against him being a stranger … What I think is that we have coaches in Brazil capable of directing the Selecao,” Lula told journalists in China, according to a video broadcast in the Brazilian media.
Andentien of football, Lula had expressed skepticism in the past about the potential appointment of Ancelotti, who had been on cards for years.
“He was never the national coach of Italy … Why is he not solving the problems of Italy, who did not even qualify for the 2022 World Cup?” The president said in 2023.
On Tuesday, he described Ancelotti as a “great technician” and said that he hoped that the Italian “could help the Brazilian team, first to qualify for the World Cup, then, if possible, win it”.
The Selecao is placed fourth in the qualification phase for the 2026 World Cup which will be organized by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
It has 21 points on 14 games, less than Ecuador, Uruguay and the Argentine world champions.
The six best teams from Latin America will qualify for the 2026 event.
(This story has not been published by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a unionized flow.)
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