Brazil eye Dunga as Scolari successor

(AFP) – Brazil could appoint former coach
Dunga to replace Luiz Felipe Scolari as
national team boss, media reports indicated
Saturday, despite ex-Corinthians coach Tite
being considered the long time favourite.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF)
earlier confirmed it will unveil its choice of
Scolari’s successor on Tuesday at 11 a.m.
(1400 GMT) in western Rio and a clutch of
Brazilian newspapers said Dunga, 50, would
return for a second spell.
Front-runner, at least until Saturday, was
believed to be Tite, full name Adenor Leonardo
Bacchi, who oversaw wins in the Copa
Libertadores and FIFA Club World Cup, at
Chelsea’s expense, in 2012.
Last Thursday, the CBF Thursday took the
wraps off a revamped technical commission
under new technical coordinator Gilmar
Rinaldi, replacing Carlos Alberto Parreira, the
coach of the Brazil side that won the World
Cup in 1994.
Gilmar — not to be confused with the Gilmar
who kept goal for the 1958 and 1962 world
champions — was a reserve keeper on the
1994 championship-winning side, which was
skippered by Dunga.
Outgoing CBF president Jose Maria Marin,
who will give way next year to septuagenarian
lawyer Marco Polo Del Nero, said the
federation would reflect further on the top job
before a final decision.
Dunga, who replaced Parreira in the top job
after the 2006 World Cup, went on to lead
Brazil to Copa America success in 2007 and
then won the Confederations Cup in 2009.
But the former Fiorentina midfielder was fired
after a 2010 World Cup quarter-final loss to
Holland.
The CBF would Saturday only reiterate that
Marin would present the new man on Tuesday
but Rio daily O Dia described Dunga as “close
to returning,” highlighting his “good
relationship” with Gilmar.
Globo indicated for its part reported that
Gilmar and Dunga had reached a rapid
agreement in principle with the CBF electing
not to pursue the Tite option.