Dorival Júnior will be the new coach of the Brazilian team – 01/07/2024 – Sports

Dorival Júnior will be the new coach of the Brazilian team. The 61-year-old professional accepted the invitation made by the president of the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation), Ednaldo Rodrigues, and will leave São Paulo to occupy the post left by Fernando Diniz, fired last Friday (5).

The announcement was made by the Tricolor club itself, which is now looking for alternatives on the market. To remove Dorival from the Morumbi team, the national confederation will pay the termination fine of his current contract, equivalent to around R$4 million.

The contacts took place throughout the week, when Ednaldo Rodrigues was returned to the presidency of the CBF by an injunction from the minister of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) Gilmar Mendes. Back in his chair, the manager quickly made the decision to fire Diniz and sought out Dorival.

The São Paulo native from Araraquara was concerned about the turbulence in the CBF, which is experiencing a moment of intense political struggle and a movement for Ednaldo to leave. But he felt calmer when he learned that the favorite to replace him in the event of a new election – the president of the FPF (São Paulo Football Federation), Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos – is sympathetic to his work.

The opportunity in the national team was a dream for Dorival, who felt neglected in previous moments when the position was vacant. And the chance finally appeared, to a certain extent, due to the chaos that was the 2023 season for the national team and the entity that runs it, with a political crisis and terrible results on the field.

After the cycle of Tite, who failed in his second World Cup, ended, Ednaldo Rodrigues went after Carlo Ancelotti and said he had a verbal agreement for his arrival in the middle of 2024, at the end of the coach’s contract with Real Madrid. The Italian never confirmed the agreement, but it was taken for granted by the CBF, which chose Fernando Diniz as interim commander.

Diniz split between Fluminense and the national team. He had a very productive year with Laranjeiras, champion of the Copa Libertadores for the first time, and became one of the coaches with the worst start in the history of the national team. In six games, he had two wins, one draw and three straight defeats.

Brazil is only in sixth place among the ten teams competing in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The expectation was that Ancelotti would arrive to tidy up the house, but, while Ednaldo was away, Real Madrid announced the renewal of the Italian’s contract until June 2026.

Rodrigues was removed from his position at the beginning of December, by a decision by the TJ-RJ (Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro). The court considered irregular an agreement between the CBF and the MP-RJ (Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro) that allowed the election of its president after the signing of a TAC (Conduct Adjustment Term).

There were several frustrated attempts to return to the chair until last Thursday (4), when Gilmar Mendes granted the injunction in favor of Ednaldo. The situation will still be evaluated by a STF panel, but the reinstated top man tried to make quick decisions, dismissing Diniz the next day and seeking an agreement with Dorival.

There is still immense instability and a movement for the president to be removed – by the general assembly of the CBF itself, not by force of Justice –, with the call for new elections. In this case, those who present themselves as candidates would be the aforementioned Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos and Flávio Zveiter.

The entire movement caught the attention of FIFA (International Football Federation), which vetoes third-party interference in its affiliated national associations. The entity arrives in Brazil this Monday (8), accompanied by representatives from Conmebol (South American Football Confederation) to investigate whether there is state intervention in the CBF.