International Football
NEYMAR & CO INTERACT WITH FANS DESPITE JET LAG
The Brazilian national team stars have won many hearts in Singapore as they assemble in the island city-state on Monday ahead of their matches with Nigeria and Senegal.
As a far departure from attitudes of most lesser-rated players from Africa, especially Nigeria, the Brazilian superstars found time to interact with their admirers and fans despite the obvious jetlag that accompanies long trips from Europe to the far east.
According to The Straits Times in Singapore, Samba fever has gripped the island as fans thronged out to see the first batch of the team players that arrived on Monday morning.
Nine fans camped outside the JW Marriott Singapore South Beach hotel from as early as 6am when the first batch of Selecao players – Paris Saint-Germain trio Neymar, Thiago Silva and Marquinhos – reached the hotel in a minivan at 7.30am.
Their number might have been small but there was no doubting their enthusiasm as they extended a noisy welcome to Neymar backed up by the beat of samba drums.
The world’s most expensive footballer looked bleary-eyed as he scanned his surroundings but still produced two cheeky winks.
He also stopped to sign a caricature of himself and four jerseys before striding into the hotel.
Undergraduate Amanpreet Singh, 23, told The Straits Times: “It is understandable after a long flight, but at least Neymar stopped.
“The poor turnout could be attributed to the fact that it is early Monday morning, when people have to work or go to school. And there are just a few players coming in batches this time round.
“I was also here for Inter Milan when they arrived at the same hotel for the International Champions Cup in July, and there were also just about 25 fans for the entire team on a Wednesday morning. But it is also good for us early birds because we stand a higher chance of getting an autograph or wefie.”
The number of fans grew to 15 by the time the second batch of Brazilians – Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino and Fabinho, and Everton’s Richarlison – arrived at 7.50am.
While Richarlison went straight into the hotel, the chirpier-looking Reds duo spent more time with the fans. Flashing his megawatt smile, Firmino entertained autograph and wefie requests while his clubmate Fabinho also followed suit.
Sales manager Dominic Teng, 31, said: “I had hoped Firmino would stay longer but he did look tired and it is OK because both he and Fabinho were very accommodating.
“It is really fantastic and breathtaking to be able to see and interact with our football heroes in person.
“While I will be at the Brazil-Senegal game to watch and support them, I hope the Liverpool players don’t get too many minutes because they have a big league match against Manchester United on Oct 20.”
Philippe Coutinho, Dani Alves, Lucas Paqueta, Casemiro and Eder Militao arrived later in the day and by the time the team left the hotel to train at Kallang Football Hub at 4.45pm, the crowd had swelled to about 40, and the fans were rewarded for their patience when Brazil manager Tite greeted them and Richarlison made amends with some wefies.
The 90-minute workout with 11 players resembled more of a light recovery session to shake off the jet lag, as they broke into little rondo-playing cliques such as the Liverpool gang of Firmino, Fabinho and former playmaker Coutinho, and the PSG group of Neymar, Silva, Marquinhos and former right-back Alves.
Neymar was seen engaging Richarlison in a crossbar challenge which the latter won, before he joined the bulk of the players chilling by the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Marquinhos and Militao were more heavily employed in passing drills while Paqueta also brushed up on his movement and finishing.
At their opening press conference last night, Marquinhos told reporters that the team “are honoured to be here”. He also defended the friendlies, saying: “Club coaches and supporters won’t like that their players go away with the national teams. But you also have to think for our national coach Tite too. How else can he test players and organise the national team? He needs such friendlies.”
Ahead of their test against Senegal, Neymar has good cause to be confident. After all, on Brazil’s last visit to the Republic in 2014 for an exhibition against Japan, he scored all the goals in the 4-0 win in front of more than 50,000 fans at the National Stadium.
International Football
Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health
Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.
The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.
“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.
“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”
Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.
-Reuters
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Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.
The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.
“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.
Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.
However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.
Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.
Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.
But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.
Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.
Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.
Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.
They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.
-Reuters
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International Football
England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.
Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.
However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.
“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.
-Reuters
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