By Humberto Viera
08 Jul 2024, 09:44 AM EDT
Despite the bitter elimination in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa América at the hands of Uruguay, Dorival Junior would continue to lead the Brazilian national team, sources from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed to the Spanish newspaper AS.
The federation maintains its confidence in the coach’s project and is committed to continuity in order to face the future of the “Canarinha”.
The coach has managed to earn the respect and affection of the players, who see him as a father figure and a mentor, despite recent images showing the players ignoring their coach before the penalty shootout in the match against Uruguay.
“I think it is a slow job, patience will be needed. We want to speed up the process to recover this team. All this feeling that we are having, watching, observing, will be important. We sat down with the CBF, we talked about everything that happened, we had positive things during this whole period of training and matches. They were not the results that we would have liked, I have to admit that, putting the responsibility for the results on the coach. But we have everything to evolve, grow and improve much more than what was shown,” confirmed the coach in a press conference after the match and reported by AS-
The CBF was aware that fighting for the title was a difficult task, especially given the short time that Dorival has been in charge of the team (only eight games). Despite the elimination, the federation values the work of the coach and the calm that he has established in the dressing room, something that has not been seen since the time of Tite.
An image circulated on social media showing Dorival standing apart from the group during the pre-penalty speech before the penalty shootout against Uruguay, while Marcelo Bielsa led the speech for the opposing team. Sources close to the Brazilian dressing room denied that this image reflects reality. They claim that the situation was “unfortunate” and that it has nothing to do with the relationship between Dorival and the players.
The Brazilian team will have a period of rest until September, when they will resume their journey in the South American Qualifiers. They are currently in sixth position, eight points behind leaders Argentina. The goal will be to improve their performance and secure a place in the 2026 World Cup.
In this new cycle, Dorival Junior will have the challenge of getting the Brazilian team back on track, regaining the fans’ trust and laying the foundations for a successful future.
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