Carlo Ancelotti, who had been tipped to take charge of the Brazil national team, recently announced that he had renewed his contract with Real Madrid, frustrating the plans of the Brazilian Football Confederation, which had been so eager to hire the Italian coach.
Besides being a major disappointment, the Italian coach's renewal represents yet another humiliating public exposure for the CBF and its declining president, Ednaldo Rodrigues. Not only had he been removed from office by a court decision, but he had also been weakened behind the scenes by the opposition. Even though he was reinstated as president through a recently issued injunction, the executive now appears to be watching the main asset of his tenure fall apart.
Ancelotti certainly never clearly indicated that he would leave Real Madrid to take over the national team. On the contrary, the coach always said his priority was Real Madrid, even as his contract with the Spanish side approached its end. It appears that the conversations with then-president Ednaldo Rodrigues were misinterpreted by the CBF, which even went so far as to announce Ancelotti's appointment.
Amateurism Comes at a Price
The failure to hire Carlo Ancelotti exposes all the amateurism within the CBF. The way the deal was handled, the premature announcement, and the lack of a "Plan B" demonstrate the organization's lack of preparation to deal with football-related matters, despite that being its sole function.
Brazilian football is what loses out, as its World Cup cycle will be harmed by uncertainty over what is happening off the pitch. After Tite's departure, the CBF sold the idea that it was negotiating with a major coach and, because of that, began turning to interim managers who would eventually leave when a big name arrived.
Time passed, the big name never came, and the Confederation's gambles proved to be a resounding failure. Former coach Fernando Diniz divided his attention between his work with Brazil and Fluminense. Diniz was promised that he would remain in the job until Ancelotti arrived, but as we know, that did not happen. After Ednaldo was reinstated through an injunction issued by Gilmar Mendes, he hurriedly dismissed Diniz and hired Dorival Jr. in his place.
Despite Ednaldo's decision, everything still seems uncertain at the CBF. The expectation is that matters will begin to be resolved a few months after the new presidential election. Those expectations may not be met, however, since the lack of standards and amateurism seem intrinsically linked to those who run Brazilian football.
Dorival Jr. Is Now the Leading Candidate
After Ancelotti turned the job down, the press floated several names to take charge of the Brazil national team. They included Jorge Jesus, who is currently at Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal and did excellent work at Flamengo in 2019, and even José Mourinho, who currently has a contract with Roma. The CBF, however, chose a domestic coach who has performed well in Brazilian football in recent years.
Dorival is nothing like Ancelotti or Diniz, but his success in charge of teams such as Flamengo and São Paulo could help him stop the initial bleeding and, with time, do a good job at the helm of the Brazil national team. There is also an important component to this decision: Dorival Jr.'s experience could help develop a national team made up of young players, as is the case with Brazil.
