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Scolari resigns as Brazil coach
(PA)© Getty ImagesLuiz Felipe Scolari has resigned as coach of Brazil, the national football federation announced on Monday.
The 65-year-old stood down as the FIFA World Cup™ hosts could only finish fourth, having been thrashed in their semi-final 7-1 by Germany, who went on to lift the trophy in Rio de Janeiro with victory over Argentina, and then beaten 3-0 by the Netherlands on Saturday.
The decision was formally announced on the Brazilian Football Confederation website, following a meeting between Scolari and president Jose Maria Marin, who is scheduled to step down next year in favour of Marco Polo Del Nero.
Only last week Del Nero had given Scolari, who guided Brazil to their fifth World Cup success in 2002, his full backing following the humiliating defeat in Belo Horizonte, which the one-time Chelsea boss described as the "worst day" of his life.
However, it now appears all parties have agreed a fresh approach is needed to rebuild Brazilian football, with Scolari's current contract, which expired at the end of the World Cup, not to be renewed.
A statement from the CBF read: "Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and his fellow coaching staff surrendered their positions to the board of the Brazilian Football Confederation. The resignation was accepted by president Marin, who was keen to thank all the coaches and players and, by extension, the Brazilian fans for their support throughout the World Cup campaign.
"Scolari and his entire coaching staff deserve our respect and gratitude. They were responsible for returning to the Brazilian people your love for the team, despite not having achieved our greatest goal."
The statement added that Scolari had restored pride to the Brazilian flag and that Marin would give a media conference to expand further.
The 2014 World Cup was the first time in some 39 years Brazil had tasted defeat in a competitive fixture at home, having lifted the FIFA Confederations Cup 12 months ago.I will be remembered as the coach to lose 7-1, but I knew that risk when I took the job.
Neymar, Thiago Silva losses prove key
The loss of star man Neymar through a back injury in the quarter-final win over Colombia proved key, as Brazil were unable to lift themselves without their talisman, and also suspended captain Thiago Silva, as Germany raced 5-0 ahead inside 30 disastrous minutes at the Estadio Mineirao.
Scolari became the subject of the Brazil fans' frustrations during the Netherlands game in Brasilia, when his picture on the big screen was met by loud jeers.
There had been so much optimism earlier in the tournament when Brazil had qualified for the knockout stages top of their group, with two wins from the opening three matches. However, they needed a nerve-shredding penalty shoot-out to edge past Chile into the quarter-finals.
The hosts had looked more composed as they saw off Colombia 2-1 in Fortaleza, only to then completely fall apart against the rampant Germans and fail to redeem themselves when beaten by the Dutch.
What lies ahead for Scolari is now unclear, the former Portugal manager having also been in charge at Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan and Brazilian club Palmeiras before returning to take over the national team two years ago.
Scolari, however, knows how history will now view him.
"I will be remembered as the coach to lose 7-1, but I knew that risk when I took the job," he said last week.
"The person who decided the line-up, the tactics, was me. It was my choice."
Brazil, meanwhile, will take their time before appointing a permanent successor, with U-23 coach Alexandre Gallo reportedly likely to be the interim caretaker.
Among those expected to be in contention for the full-time job include former Corinthians boss Tite and Muricy Ramalho of Sao Paulo as well as former Brazil boss Vanderlei Luxemburgo.
Brazil have never appointed a foreign coach, although Spaniard Pep Guardiola was linked with the position before he took charge at Bayern Munich.- Sport
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Germany
Germany grounded despite semi-final romp
Published: Friday 11 July 2014, 9.44CET"No one is a world champion after the semi-finals," said Toni Kroos as the Germany squad stressed that whatever happened against Brazil, Sunday's final is not yet won.
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Although the global footballing community seems to have picked their FIFA World Cup winners already following Germany's 7-1 win over Brazil, Joachim Löw's troops are refusing to get caught up in the euphoria.
When Marco Antonio Rodríguez blew the final whistle to end a legendary World Cup semi-final on Tuesday, a tsunami-like wave of euphoria had long been making its way across Germany's footballing community. Fans, journalists and practically every former international player and TV pundit all shared the same opinion: the fourth star above Germany's crest is all but sewn on. There was just a small group of people at Campo Bahia who downright refused to get caught up in the party atmosphere – namely, the Germany national team...
"To put it very literally so that we have the facts on the table: we're into the next round, just like after the Algeria game," said Thomas Müller at the camp in his own unique way. He was backed up by team-mate Per Mertesacker: "Sunday is what counts and it will be all or nothing."
What Mertesacker considers "nothing" would be Germany once again falling at the final hurdle, something Miro Klose & Co. experienced at both the 2002 World Cup (0-2 v Brazil) and UEFA EURO 2008 (0-1 v Spain), not to mention recent World Cup semi-final defeats in 2006 (0-2 v Italy) and 2010 (0-1 v Spain). Yet another slip-up at this late stage is almost inconceivable, but those recent failures are still fresh in the memory of this unfinished golden generation.
Germany coach Joachim Löw will have no problems making sure his team keep their feet on the ground. "I have a feeling that we're all very much grounded and ready for the final step," he calmly predicted.
"Our clear goal when we came here was to become world champions, and no one is a world champion after the semi-finals," added the constantly improving Toni Kroos. The FC Bayern München players in particular know how to turn painful defeats into motivation. The Munich club won the UEFA Champions League in 2001, just two years after their devastating last-minute loss in the final Manchester United FC. And of course the team, led by captain Philipp Lahm, bounced back with their Wembley win against Borussia Dortmund in 2013, having lost out to Chelsea FC in their home final just one year earlier.©Getty Images
Despite Tuesday's performance, Toni Kroos is keeping calm
This Germany team are now showing that sheer determination for a fourth World Cup title here in Brazil and they're not allowing themselves to be led astray by what happened on Tuesday. Next up are Argentina, who may have a few extraordinarily talented players in their ranks, but are yet to play outstanding football at this tournament.
Right after La Albiceleste's semi-final win on penalties against the Netherlands, the German team's official feed tweeted, "Congratulations Argentina. We'll see you in Rio on Sunday for the final!" It was meant politely, but there was also a hint of a threat in their message.©UEFA.com 1998-2014. All rights reserved.Last updated: 11/07/14 15.07CETCommunity policyJoin the conversation
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Germany defence and Argentina midfield key to World Cup final chances
Germany will need to deal with the threat of Lionel Messi, while Argentina have to overcome passing weakness in midfield
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How do Germany stop Messi?
Germany kept Lionel Messi quiet in their 4-0 thrashing of Argentina in the 2010 quarter-final, but it will be a tougher task this time around. Messi is now more comfortable in that classic Argentinian No10 role, and has shown patience and guile when receiving the ball in deeper positions.The man tasked with stopping Messi will be Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has played the deep-lying midfield role since Joachim Löw reformatted his side for the 1-0 quarter-final victory over France. The Bayern midfielder is an excellent passer, but can struggle defensively against tricky, top-class opponents, and the composition of Germany’s midfield triangle means Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira are likely to be pressing Argentina’s deep midfielders, rather than helping to stop Messi.
A further concern is the suspicion Messi will drift out to the right, as he did frequently in the semi-final against Holland. In that zone, he’ll be up against Germany’s weak link Benedikt Höwedes, although as a natural, right-footed centre-back, Höwedes might defend narrowly and show Messi down the outside, which is preferable to letting him inside on to his left foot.
Germany need three things to go right to prevent Messi dominating. First, they need a good individual performance from Schweinsteiger, handed the most difficult task of his career: stopping the most celebrated player of his generation performing on the world’s biggest stage.
More crucially, they need a good team effort. This means the second task must be to remain extremely compact, denying Messi space between the lines, and getting bodies around him if he manages to evade Schweinsteiger.
Third, they must attempt to prevent the service into him. Kroos and Khedira pressed Brazil’s deep midfielders excellently in the staggering 7-1 semi-final victory over the hosts, and they’ll look to shut down Javier Mascherano and Lucas Biglia similarly.
How do Argentina cope in midfield?
Argentina will be determined not to suffer the same problems as Brazil, who were pressed into submission by the energy and tenacity of the German midfield. This will be extremely tough for Argentina, who aren’t blessed with great passers in the centre of the pitch, especially with one day less rest.Alejandro Sabella is likely to continue with Enzo Pérez on one flank, probably the right, in place of the injured Ángel di María. The Benfica winger isn’t anything like a natural replacement, however, and more of a central midfielder – he’ll tuck inside and play alongside Javier Mascherano and Lucas Biglia, with Argentina hoping to win the midfield battle with quantity, rather than quality. Sabella will be happy for Pérez to concentrate his efforts in the centre of the pitch rather than out wide – the German left-back Höwedes can be allowed freedom, as he’s unlikely to cause attacking problems.
Argentina’s central midfielders must offload the ball quickly when pressed – they only need to watch a video of the Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho dallying in possession for Germany’s fourth goal to realise the outcome of such errors. While Mascherano has impressed with his tenacious tackling, his distribution has also been excellent at this World Cup, and since moving to Barcelona he has passed the ball much more swiftly.
Maybe the ultimate answer to the threat of Germany’s midfield, however, is simply defending deep. Germany don’t depend upon counter-attacking as much as in 2010, but their most dangerous attacks against Brazil were quick, direct and about breaking into space. When Argentina get numbers behind the ball, they’re extremely solid, and they’re yet to concede a goal in the knockout stage of this competition. Rather than trying to compete in midfield, Sabella might allow Germany the run of that zone, and keep it tight much deeper.
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'I'm not a quitter,' insists England boss Hodgson
Team By Team
- Algeria Surprise stars of the group stage
- Argentina We're not Messi-dependent - Gago
- Australia How the PL stars performed in Brazil
- Belgium World Cup 2014: Path to the final
- Bosnia Dzeko: I'll never forget Nigeria 'goal'
- Brazil World Cup Team of the group stage
- Cameroon 'Failure will make Cameroon stronger'
- Chile Surprise stars of the group stage
- Colombia World Cup Team of the group stage
- Costa Rica World Cup Team of the group stage
- Croatia Modric: Lack of belief cost Croatia
- Côte d'Ivoire WC Scouting Report: Serge Aurier
- Ecuador Dominguez: Ecuador should be proud
- England Bad planning plagued Europe's sides
- France World Cup Team of the group stage
- Germany World Cup Team of the group stage
- Ghana Nani: Portugal finishing was poor
- Greece World Cup Team of the group stage
- Honduras Shaqiri: Swiss can upset Argentina
- Iran Nigeria must work harder - Musa
- Italy World Cup fans react to Suarez ban
- Japan Kagawa: Japan let fans down
- Korea Rep How the PL stars performed in Brazil
- Mexico World Cup Team of the group stage
- Netherlands World Cup Team of the group stage
- Nigeria Nigeria refuse to train
- Portugal Bad planning plagued Europe's sides
- Russia Capello in ref rage after Russia exit
- Spain Bad planning plagued Europe's sides
- Switzerland World Cup 2014: Path to the final
- United States World Cup 2014: Path to the final
- Uruguay World Cup fans react to Suarez ban
World Cup 2014: Luis Suarez Charged by FIFA for Biting Attack
World Cup 2014: Luis Suarez Charged by FIFA for Biting Attack
AP Photo/Hassan Ammar
The Uruguay striker could be suspended for chomping down on defender Giorgio Chiellini in a vicious altercation during Tuesday's 1-0 victory over Italy.
FIFA announced early on Wednesday that its disciplinary committee has opened proceedings against Suarez, just hours after the end of Tuesday's match.If the panel finds Suarez guilty of assaulting an opponent, FIFA rules call for a ban of at least two matches up to a maximum of 24 months.
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FIFA asked the team to present evidence, which can include video recordings, by 5 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) on Wednesday.
A decision must be published before Saturday, when Uruguay plays Colombia in a round-of-16 match at Maracana stadium.
Uruguay advanced by beating Italy 1-0 on Tuesday in Natal. One minute before the decisive goal, Suarez clashed with Chiellini and was caught by television cameras apparently biting his shoulder.
Match referee Marco Rodriguez of Mexico appeared not to see the incident and took no action.
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Brazil's World Cup has been a high-scoring tournament featuring late goals, comebacks, full stadiums and underdog stories, but the bite got much of the global attention on Tuesday.
Earlier in his career, the 27-year-old Suarez was suspended in the Netherlands and England for biting opponents. He didn't confirm or deny biting Chiellini, but said he was angry that the Italian defender had hit him in the eye during the game.http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/world-cup-2014-luis-suarez-714796
"These are things that happen on the pitch. We were both in the area, he thrust his shoulder into me," Suarez said in Spanish. "These things happen on the pitch, and we don't have to give them so much (importance)."
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FIFA's disciplinary panel "is responsible for sanctioning serious infringements which have escaped the match officials' attention," the governing body said in a statement.
"Any type of proof may be produced," FIFA noted, including "reports from referees, declarations from the parties and witnesses, material evidence, audio or video recordings."
FIFA set a World Cup precedent for using video review in 1994.
Then, in a quarterfinal, Italy defender Mauro Tassotti's elbow to the face of Spain's Luis Enrique escaped the referee's attention. FIFA later banned Tassotti for eight international matches.
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When
Marc Wilmots took on the Belgium job on in June 2012, he was, to all
intents and purposes, a managerial novice, having previously spent just a
few months in charge at Sint Truiden, the club where he began he began
his playing career, and at Schalke, for whom he played his last match.
In the meantime, 'Willy' pursued a
career outside football. But when his country came calling, the lure of
the dugout proved impossible for him to resist.
The finest Belgian footballer to walk
the FIFA World Cup™ stage, Wilmots the coach is every bit the inspiring
figurehead he was during his playing days. Two years into his reign as
national team coach he is flying the flag once more in his favourite
tournament, overseeing consecutive hard-fought wins over Algeria and
Russia.
Though safely through to the Round of
16 with a game to spare, Wilmots’ charges have yet to produce the kind
of flowing football expected of them at Brazil 2014, a fact he
acknowledged in conversation with FIFA: “Maybe it hasn’t been very spectacular, but we’ve achieved something big with one of the youngest squads in the tournament.”
Over these last two games, Wilmots has
seen his side show the attributes that once marked him out as a player:
“I’ve been pleased by the discipline, teamwork and patience of my
players.”
The former midfielder, who scored five
World Cup goals, was known more for his battling qualities than refined
technique, in contrast to Belgium’s bright new generation, who have
earned a reputation for playing slick, polished football.
While there are some former
footballers-turned-coaches who prefer to leave their playing exploits
out of their team talks, Wilmots is not one of them. He is anxious to
pass on every lesson he learned on the field of play and shape a side in
his image.
The Bull of Dongelberg’s considerable
influence could been seen in the way his charges monopolised possession
against the Russians and in clawing their way back from the brink
against Algeria.
“I know how it feels to have to chase
after a ball and I want my opponents to experience that same horrible
sensation,” he said. “It’s very tiring on a physical and mental level.”
Wilmots is a coach who leaves little to chance and makes full use of the squad at his disposal, as he explained: “It surprises a lot of people to see me changing players the whole time in training sessions. To my mind that’s one of the keys to making them available for matches and getting the most out of them.”
Wilmots is a coach who leaves little to chance and makes full use of the squad at his disposal, as he explained: “It surprises a lot of people to see me changing players the whole time in training sessions. To my mind that’s one of the keys to making them available for matches and getting the most out of them.”
All three of his side’s goals at Brazil
2014 have been scored by substitutes, a reflection of the faith the
coach has in his 23 players and his belief in healthy competition and in
making the fringe players feels part of something, another lesson from
his four World Cups. Judging by the team’s displays and the comments
coming out of the Belgium camp, Wilmots seems to be making all the right
decisions.
Wilmots explains Lukaku struggles
His world finals experience also allows him to put himself in his players’ shoes, something he did in assessing the performance of Romelu Lukaku against Russia. After failing to get into the game, the striker was eventually substituted just before the hour.
His world finals experience also allows him to put himself in his players’ shoes, something he did in assessing the performance of Romelu Lukaku against Russia. After failing to get into the game, the striker was eventually substituted just before the hour.
“He puts too much pressure on himself,”
said Wilmots. “I messed up in my first two World Cups because I was
obsessed with winning. I was expecting the younger players to handle the
occasion less well, simply because they would be thinking about nothing
else but the need to win.”
Like any good teacher, Wilmots knows
how important confidence is when it comes to upping performance levels, a
message he has been keen to get across: “I know Lukaku can do better
and he knows that too. He’s still very important for us.”
Belgium’s final group match comes
against Korea Republic on Thursday, an occasion on which there will be
no need for them to get the calculators out, much to Wilmots’ delight:
“We won’t have to do any maths or ask ourselves whether it’s better to
defend or attack. We’ll just go out and look for the win.”
Given Belgium’s tendency to execute their coach’s instructions to the
letter, the South Koreans can expect a tough test in Sao Paulo. 
