Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized, on Thursday on a local television channel, the appointment of the Italian Carlo Ancelotti as head of the Brazilian selection from 2024. “I like Ancelotti, but he doesn’t was ever Italy manager. Why does he not solve the problem of Italy, which did not participate in the last World Cup? “Asked the 77-year-old leader during an interview Thursday evening with the SBT channel.
The Real Madrid coach was chosen on Tuesday to take charge of the “Seleçao” from the Copa America 2024, from June 20 to July 14, according to a source from the Brazilian Football Confederation to AFP. Until then, it is Fernando Diniz, the technician of Fluminense, Brazilian D1 club, who will be on the Auriverde bench. “I’m a fan of Diniz (…) He has personality, creativity and he’s the one who commands in the locker room”, greeted Lula.
In fact, despite a more than brilliant career in Europe, Carlo Ancelotti has never led a national team. “It’s very easy to lead a team in Europe with eleven selected players. What is difficult is to come here and lead the Corinthians (at the gates of the relegation zone in D1 of Brazil). I would like to see if Ancelotti would do well with the Corinthians, ”said the left-wing president again.
Diniz, 49, will start on the Brazilian bench in September, in 2026 World Cup qualifying, with matches against Bolivia and Peru. Lula doubts, however, that he can ‘assemble a good selection’. According to him, Brazil don’t have a ‘very good’ generation of players at the moment. “The problem is not Diniz, the problem is that today we don’t have the quality of players that we had in other eras,” he regretted.
Indeed, the “Seleçao” is struggling to regain its past glory, its last world title dating back to 2002. In Qatar, during the last World Cup, it was eliminated in the quarters by the Croatian on penalties. And the competition was won by arch-rivals Argentina.
