The final of the Copa do Brasil between Corinthians and Vasco, with the first game this Wednesday (17), in São Paulo, and the second on Sunday (21), in Rio, will have as one of its attractions the duel on the sidelines between Dorival Júnior and Fernando Diniz, the last two coaches of the Brazilian team before the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti.
Amid the growing presence of foreign coaches in Brazilian football, Dorival and Diniz secured their places in the Copa do Brasil decision by eliminating Cruzeiro in the semi-finals, then managed by the Portuguese Leonardo Jardim —who already left the Minas Gerais club after the elimination, with Tite taking over in his place—, and Fluminense, coached by the Argentine Luis Zubeldía, respectively.
It will be the first time since 2021 that the Copa do Brasil final will be played by two Brazilian coaches.
In 2024, Flamengo, under the direction of Filipe Luís, beat Atlético-MG, owned by Argentine Gabriel Milito. In 2023, the red-black team, led at the time by Argentine Jorge Sampaoli, was surpassed by São Paulo, owned by Dorival Júnior. And in 2022, Flamengo, with Dorival on the bench, triumphed over Corinthians, owned by Portuguese Vitor Pereira.
In 2021, Atlético-MG, from Cuca, surpassed Athletico Paranaense, from Alberto Valentim.
Both Dorival Júnior and Fernando Diniz are looking to win their first title since leaving their position as coach of the Brazilian national team.
Diniz took over the Brazilian team in July 2023, replacing Ramon Menezes, initially on an interim basis, while the then president of the CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues, tried to sign Ancelotti.
Reconciling work with the national team and Fluminense, Fernando Diniz led the national team at the beginning of the Qualifiers, with victories in the first two matches, against Bolivia and Peru.
Subsequently, the team was unable to escape a draw with Venezuela and lost 2-0 to Uruguay, in Montevideo, in a match marked by the serious injury that left Neymar sidelined for around a year, without the player having returned to the field with the team since then.
Diniz would lead the team in just two more qualifying matches, in defeats to Colombia and Argentina, with poor performances from the team that increased criticism of his work and ended up resulting in his dismissal weeks later.
After working with the national team, the coach had a quick spell at Cruzeiro, between September 2024 and January 2025, and was announced in May for his second spell at Vasco. With Cruz-Maltino, he fell in the play-offs of the round of 16 of the South American Championship, against Independiente del Valle, from Ecuador, and the Brazilian finished 14th in the league table.
Dorival Júnior, in turn, took over the selection in January 2024, remaining in charge of the national team until March 2025. During this period, he led the team in eight qualifying matches, with four wins, two draws and two defeats.
The last defeat, the 4-1 defeat against Argentina in Buenos Aires, with complete dominance by the opposing team throughout the match, resulted in the coach’s downfall.
In his fifth Copa do Brasil decision — with Santos, he won in 2010 and came second in 2015, losing to Palmeiras —, Dorival Júnior made a point of praising the work done by the Brazilian coaches.
“These numbers are very important to me. I want to make a connection with what has been happening with professionals in my area for some time within our country. We are being disrespected in every aspect and in every way. And once again we end the year with Filipe Luís champion of the Libertadores and the Brazilian Championship and at least one Brazilian coach in the finals of a competition as important as the Copa do Brasil”, said Dorival after Corinthians’ classification against Cruzeiro, before the definition Vasco as second finalist.
“May they respect us a little more. May the coaches [brasileiros] be a little more observed, evaluated, analyzed, because we have qualities, capabilities, like the professionals who are here. I don’t want them to make any comparison in any way, I have the utmost respect for all foreign professionals who are in our country, I think this integration is very important, but I expect a little greater respect from the Brazilian press in general”, added the coach.
If he wins the duel against Vasco, Dorival will become the most successful coach in the Copa do Brasil. Tied today with Mano Menezes, he can equal the mark of Luiz Felipe Scolari, who won the competition four times — in 1991, with Criciúma, in 1994, with Grêmio, and in 1998 and 2002, with Palmeiras.
Diniz’s best result in the tournament was the semifinal stage, in 2021, when he lost with São Paulo to Grêmio, and in 2022, eliminated with Fluminense by Corinthians.
After Vasco qualified on penalties against Fluminense, with Léo Jardim defending two charges, Diniz defended the goalkeeper’s call-up to the Brazilian team. “He is an extremely dedicated player, a goalkeeper who, in my opinion, wants to compete in a World Cup. Léo meets the requirements that put him in line to be a goalkeeper called up to compete in the World Cup”, said the coach.
