The president of CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation), Ednaldo Rodrigues, managed on Monday (12) what he sought for more than two years. Announced Carlo Ancelotti, 65, as coach of the Brazilian team, with contract until the 2026 World Cup.
The Italian has just over a year to go to the team, the drift since the last World Cup. Between interim and almost interim, three coaches commanded the team in the last 29 months, when Ednaldo fought to protect his own position. And waited Ancelotti.
“Bringing Carlo Ancelotti to command Brazil is more than a strategic movement. It is a statement to the world that we are determined to recover the highest place of the podium. He is the greatest coach in history and is now ahead of the largest selection on the planet,” said the manager.
Ednaldo referred to Italian as “a strategist who turns teams into legends.” A professional of great talent seems to establish some cohesion in a selection that accumulates problems, conducted by a confederation idem.
Anchelotti’s own hiring process is illustrative. After the 2022 World Cup, Rodrigues left the national team under the provisional command of Ramon Menezes and then Fernando Diniz, ensuring that he had a hit with Carlo, which he would assume in the middle of 2024.
But the president was removed from the CBF by the court in December 2023, for questions to the validity of a TAC (Conduct Adjustment Agreement) that had allowed his election in 2022. In 2021, he had interimly assumed President Rogério Caboclo’s post.
Rodrigues was reappointed in January 2024 by decision of the Supreme Court Minister Gilmar Mendes. However, by that time, in view of the indefinition in the Confederation, Ancelotti renewed a contract with Real Madrid until mid -2026.
The CBF solution was to bet on Dorival Júnior, who came from good results in Flamengo and São Paulo. These results are not repeated in the national team, which has a use of only 50% in the World Cup qualifiers.
Dorival said goodbye to an embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Argentina, and Ednaldo saw a new window of opportunity with Ancelotti, in crisis at Real Madrid. The club was willing to say goodbye to the old commander, eyeing young Xabi Alonso, and agreed to negotiate a termination.
“I want to take advantage of this moment to record my thanks to the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, and José Ángel [Sánchez Periáñez, diretor-geral do clube espanhol]For all the understanding, by dialogue, for the support, which made this transaction possible, “said Rodrigues.
Pérez did not, until the conclusion of this text, was publicly answered. The announcement was made only by the CBF, without official demonstrations of Real Madrid and Ancelotti. The coach is expected to grant an interview on Tuesday (13) and direct the white team in the final three rounds of the Spanish Championship.
Ednaldo was in a hurry to release the hiring. He wanted to leave the call to appear on Monday afternoon to an audience at the Rio de Janeiro TJ-RJ (Court of Justice), in a process that can again remove him from the presidency.
Elected in March for a new term, Rodrigues is in power with an injunction that will be evaluated by the STF plenary on the 28th. Another reason to in a hurry, the commitments of the Brazilian team itself in the South America qualifiers were not enough.
The team is in fourth position, with 21 points – the same score of the sixth place, Colombia. Four rounds of the end is six points the advantage over the seventh, Venezuela. Six South Americans go straight to the swollen 2026 World Cup, with 48 teams. The seventh plays a recap.
Classifying Brazil to the World Cup is not why Ancelotti will receive $ 5 million per month, with housing in Rio de Janeiro countertop by CBF. The goal is to make a large pantry, with expected bonus of 5 million euros (R $ 31.5 million) in case of title.
Curriculum is not lacking in the foreign room to direct the selection, the first permanently. To stay in the items that draw the most attention, only he has five Champions League titles as a coach, and only he was champion in each of the main five European national alloys.
“Brazil, with its unique tradition, and Ancelotti, with its revolutionary view, will form a partnership that will enter history,” said Ednaldo, hoping that the chaotic cycle will have a happy ending – as in 1958, 1970 and 2002, when champion technicians also took over the team.
