International Football
SOUTH AMERICA’S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING DRAW IN NUMBERS!
The South American qualifiers for the World Cup 2022 get underway in March 2020, but to whet your appetite for the draw, we bring you a statistical summary of one of the most exciting and difficult qualifying tournaments in world football.
707
The number of South American qualifying fixtures played – excluding intercontinental play-offs – since the first one was contested in 14 February 1954: a 4-0 win for Paraguay over Chile en route to that year’s FIFA World Cup in Switzerland.
240
The number of goals netted by Brazil, who top the scoring charts in the region’s qualifiers. If that were not impressive enough, A Seleção reached that figure despite having played just 110 games, the fewest of any CONMEBOL side. Their scoring average stands at 2.18 goals per game.
154
The number of qualifying matches played by Paraguay and Uruguay, the two South American countries with the most fixtures, including intercontinental play-offs.
75
The number of wins Argentina have recorded during World Cup qualifying, the most of any of the region’s sides. Colombia, meanwhile, have registered the most draws – 46 – and Venezuela the most defeats – 90.
73
The number of World Cup qualifiers played by Ecuador’s Ivan Hurtado, who holds the CONMEBOL record. The former defender took part in five qualifying competitions between USA 1994 and South Africa 2010, participating in two World Cups: Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006.
31
The number of consecutive matches in which Brazil went unbeaten – a South American record. The sequence began in 1954 and lasted until 1993, when the Auriverde went down to Bolivia in La Paz.
24
The number of times Colombia have faced Paraguay –the most-played fixture in the history of these qualifiers.
21
The number of goals racked up by the all-time top-scorers in the qualifiers, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. The Argentinian has played in 45 games, while the Uruguayan needed one less, 44. Argentinian Hernan Crespo (19) and Chilean Marcelo Salas (18) are next in the table.
9
The most goals scored in a South American qualifying game, so far happening on three occasions: in Chile’s 7-2 defeat of Colombia in 1965, Argentina’s 6-3 away win against Ecuador in 1960, and Peru’s triumph over Venezuela by the same score in 1965.
7
The number of consecutive editions of the South American qualifiers, including that beginning next March for Qatar 2022, in which a mini-league format across 18 matchdays will have been used. The current format was first introduced ahead of the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.
International Football
Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health
Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.
The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.
“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.
“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”
Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.
-Reuters
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Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.
The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.
“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.
Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.
However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.
Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.
Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.
But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.
Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.
Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.
Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.
They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.
-Reuters
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International Football
England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.
Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.
However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.
“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.
-Reuters
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