The Brazil football federation fired coach Mano Menezes on Friday, a controversial move that pleased many Brazilians who had been calling for his dismissal but worried others who believe the change comes too close to the 2014 World Cup.
Federation director Andres Sanchez, who made it clear that he didn’t agree with the decision to fire Menezes, said the decision was made by president Jose Maria Marin after a meeting in Sao Paulo on Friday.
“The president believes that the national team needs to go in a different direction and for that he needs a new coach,” Sanchez said. “The president wants new methods and new planning for the national team next year.”
World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who is without a job, is one of the names touted to replace Menezes, but Sanchez said he doesn’t think negotiations for a new coach are under way just yet.
Sanchez, as the federation director, is in charge of the national team. Though he disagreed with the firing, Sanchez said the president was being “brave” and called it a “bold” move to make the change.
“He is looking forward and we have to respect it,” Sanchez said. “The president feels that this is not the national team that he wants.”
