CBF targets Ancelotti and selection must have Ramon Menezes as interim

The Brazilian team should play the friendlies in March, the first after the failure in the Qatar World Cup, under the command of an interim technician. Without being able to advance in negotiations with the main European coaches – Carlo Ancelotti, from Real Madrid, is preferred -, the CBF should opt for Ramon Menezes, from the under-20 team, for the first FIFA Dates window of the year. With about 40 days to go, however, neither the opponents nor the venues for the games are defined.

The option for an interim person shows the difficulty that President Ednaldo Rodrigues faces in closing with Ancelotti or with another coach in the top tier of European football. Last month, the director declared that he hoped that in the friendlies of the next month the selection already had its new coach hired.

“It may even happen, but what I intend is that in March we can already have a definitive coach, not a coach that is provisional”, he said, at the time.

Now, with about a month left to be called up and with the main European competitions in full swing, the CBF already admits that the new coach should only lead the team in June, in games for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. wait for the end of the season in Europe to define the new commander.

The strongest name is that of the Italian Carlo Ancelotti. This Friday (10), ESPN Brasil reported that he would have given a positive signal to coach Brazil. Both Ancelotti and the CBF did not talk about the subject. “Brazilian team? My situation is very clear, I have a contract (with Real Madrid) until 2024”, said the coach, who is in Rabat, Morocco. This Saturday, Real dispute the decision of the Club World Cup with Al-Hilal.

But the option for an interim coach next month shows that Ednaldo is really willing to invest in a European coach, and the Italian is his favorite. So much so that the leader postponed the trip that was scheduled for Europe this month. And it is worth remembering that two coaches who came to be associated with the selection, Frenchman Zinedine Zidane and Spaniard Luis Enrique, are currently free on the market and, in theory, would have a free path to coach Brazil.