July 07, (THEWILL) – Brazil’s President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti, as the country’s football coach, suggesting that Ancelotti should focus on resolving the issues faced by the Italian national team.
Ancelotti, a highly successful coach with four UEFA Champions League titles under his belt, will assume his position before the Copa America in the United States next year, after fulfilling his contractual obligations with Real Madrid. President Lula, in an interview recently made his position clear: “I admire Ancelotti, but he has never been Italy’s national coach. Why does he not resolve Italy’s problem, who did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup?”
In the interim, Fernando Diniz, the coach of Fluminense, will be leading the Brazilian team for their initial 2026 World Cup qualifiers. President Lula praised Diniz, citing his personality and creativity as reasons for his support, adding: “He is the one who commands the dressing room.”
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) chose the 64-year-old Ancelotti to lead the team, banking on his extensive experience and success in European football. The CBF hopes that Ancelotti, one of the most accomplished coaches in European football history, will guide Brazil to their sixth World Cup trophy, ending their drought since 2002, especially after their bitter rivals Argentina claimed victory in Qatar last year.
President Lula, however, remains skeptical about the challenges the Brazilian team will face in the World Cup qualifiers, regardless of who the coach is. “The problem is not Diniz; the problem is we do not possess today the level of players we had in previous eras,” he noted This sentiment reflects Lula’s pessimism about Brazil’s prospects in the upcoming qualifiers. Ancelotti will become the fourth non-Brazilian coach to lead the national team, following in the footsteps of Argentine Filpo Nunez, who held the position for one game in 1965.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
