World Cup 2014 News and Rosters: Luiz Felipe Scolari Out as Brazil Coach After World Cup Debacle
Luiz Felipe Scolari will not return as Brazil coach after the Selecao had a disappointing fourth-place finish in the 2014 FIFA World Cup on their home soil.
According to TV Globo, the Brazilian Football Confederation decided that they will not offer a new contract to Scolari, whose contract with the team is set to expire this summer.
Scolari, who was appointed as coach in 2012, has been under fire over the past several days after Brazil absorbed a humiliating 7-1 loss against eventual champions Germany in the semifinals, which was followed by a disappointing 3-0 loss to Netherlands in the third-place playoff.
After their loss to Netherlands on Saturday, Scolari, who led Brazil to the 2013 Confederation Cup title, was non-committal about his future with the Selecao, saying that all members of their coaching staff have expiring contracts and it was up to the federation to decide whether or not they will be given a new deal.
"If we won or lost, my position was always going to be vacant," Scolari said. "When we started, we had a deadline to quit our jobs at the end of the World Cup regardless of the result. That is exactly what we are going to do, which is what was agreed upon with the final report for the [CBF] president."
Incoming CBF president Marco Polo Del Nero expressed support for Scolari last weekend, saying that the loss to Germany was brought by a tactical error, but Scolari did a good job overall.
Brazil captain Thiago Silva also came into Scolari's defense, saying that the loss to Germany was not their coach's fault and the entire group should be blamed for the debacle. Silva, along with injured star Neymar, missed their semi-final showdown against Germany; Silva was out because of his suspension.
"The defeat was not Felipao's fault. We are a group, and although I was not on the field I am part of that group," Silva said via The Daily Star.
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