International Football
Brazil names Maracana among host venues for Copa America
Brazil named Rio de Janeiro and three other cities as host venues for the Copa America on Tuesday (June 1) in a move that appeared to strengthen the likelihood of the tournament taking place, even as a Supreme Court judge asked President Jair Bolsonaro to explain his surprise decision.
The demand by Justice Ricardo Lewandowski came in response to a suit filed by the opposition Workers’ Party, which objected to Brazil hosting the tournament given the current public health situation.
Bolsonaro said earlier on Tuesday his government had agreed Brazil would host the regional tournament from June 13 to July 10, after planned hosts Argentina pulled out due to a dramatic worsening of the coronavirus pandemic there.
The capital Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Cuiaba and Goiania were confirmed as host cities by Alejandro Dominguez, president of the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol).
“We have chosen the hosts in agreement, obviously, with the governors,” Bolsonaro said. “So everything suggests… that Brazil will host the Copa America.”
Rio’s Maracana stadium and the Mane Garrincha stadium in Brasilia will be favourites to host the opening match and the final.
The decision to host football’s oldest international tournament comes as Brazil struggles to cope with the ravages of a virus that has killed over 465,000 people, according to government figures, the second-highest tally in the world.
Brazil offered to host the tournament played by 10 South American nations in a surprise decision taken jointly with Conmebol on Monday, and is now racing against time to provide flights, transport, accommodation and training facilities for the visiting delegations.
The tournament is set to feature some of the greatest names in world football, including Argentinians Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero, Neymar from Brazil, and Uruguayans Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
Conmebol has promised all players will be vaccinated before the tournament begins.
However, not everyone was happy with the move, with Peru coach Ricardo Gareca complaining that Brazil was getting to host the tournament twice in succession.
“It doesn’t seem fair to me that Brazil is hosting the Copa America again because it was the host last time (in 2019),” Gareca said. “I think the fair thing would be to see other options.”
The union of Colombian footballers also expressed their misgivings about the sudden shift of host nation.
“Conmebol’s decision generates uncertainty among footballers not just because of the risk to their health but also because of the tranquility and guarantees they require for a normal competition to take place,” a statement from Acolfutpro said.
No fans are expected to attend the games but Bolsonaro said the same health protocols will be followed that have been in place for other football tournaments.
Brazil has hosted teams this year from across the continent in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, South America’s equivalent of the Champions League and Europa League.
This year’s edition of the Copa America was held over from 2020 because of the pandemic and was supposed to be the first to be held jointly by two nations but Colombia was removed as co-hosts and then Argentina pulled out.
-Reuters
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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