Dorival Junior Sacked as Brazil Coach After Argentina Humiliation

AFP | Rio de Janeiro
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Dorival Junior was sacked as Brazil’s coach on Friday, just three days after a humiliating 4-1 World Cup qualifying defeat to bitter rivals Argentina, the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) announced.

“Dorival Junior is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team. The management thanks him and wishes him success for the rest of his career,” the CBF said in a statement.

The 62-year-old coach had been in charge since January 2024, succeeding interim coach Fernando Diniz, but has overseen a lackluster qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Brazil, the five-time World Cup winners, are currently fourth in the South American qualifying table, 10 points behind defending world champions Argentina, who have already secured their place in the finals. Brazil also sit behind Ecuador and Uruguay.

There are six automatic qualifying spots for South American teams. Brazil will visit Ecuador and host Paraguay on June 4 and 9, respectively, for the next set of qualifiers.

The writing was on the wall for Dorival after Tuesday’s rout in Buenos Aires.

“Nobody expected what we saw today, and the responsibility is entirely mine,” the coach acknowledged after the game.

Dorival took over the Seleção after winning domestic titles with Flamengo and São Paulo. His appointment was only confirmed after months of speculation about the possible arrival of Real Madrid’s Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti.