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| August 7, 2002 | Wednesday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 27,1423 |
Brazil bank on World Cup squad for friendly
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 6: Brazil recalled their entire World Cup squad on Monday for their friendly against Paraguay later this month but the future of coach Luiz Felipe Scolari remained a mystery.
The squad that won the World Cup in Japan and South Korea — including Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos — was named for the match in Fortaleza on August 21 while AS Roma midfielder Emerson was added to the list.
Emerson had been due to captain the team at the World Cup until he dislocated his shoulder in a bizarre training incident on the eve of Brazil’s opening match against Turkey.
He was ruled out of the competition, his place in the team was taken by Gilberto Silva and the captaincy handed to full-back Cafu.
The match will be Brazil’s first since they beat Germany 2-0 to win their fifth world title in Yokohama on June 30.
Brazil won all seven of their matches at the World Cup and are unbeaten this year, having won 12 and drawn one of the 13 matches they have played.
A media conference in which Scolari had been expected to announce whether he would continue in the job was postponed until Thursday, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said.
The CBF added that Scolari, who in only 13 months lifted Brazil out of the doldrums and led them to a fifth world cup, has agreed to stay on for the Paraguay game.
Speculation is rife that Scolari’s family wants him to quit while the going is good but the CBF would like him to stay on.
“Big Phil” took over in June last year with Brazil in danger of missing out on the World Cup finals for the first time.
Brazil lost three of their first five games under Scolari, including a shock defeat to Honduras in the Copa America quarter-finals, but recovered to scramble into the World Cup by beating Venezuela in the last of their 18 qualifying games.
SQUAD:
GOALKEEPERS: Marcos (Palmeiras), Dida (AC Milan), Rogerio Ceni (Sao Paulo)
DEFENDERS: Cafu (AS Roma), Belletti (Villareal), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid), Junior (Parma), Edmilson (Olympique Lyon), Anderson Polga (Gremio), Roque Junior (AC Milan), Lucio (Bayer Leverkusen)
MIDFIELDERS: Vampeta (Corinthians), Gilberto Silva (Arsenal), Emerson (AS Roma), Ronaldinho (Paris St Germain), Juninho Paulista (Middlesbrough), Kaka (Sao Paulo), Kleberson (Atletico Paranaense), Ricardinho (Corinthians)
FORWARDS: Ronaldo (Inter Milan), Rivaldo (AC Milan), Luizao (Herta Berlin), Denilson (Real Betis), Edilson (Kashima Reysol)—Reuters
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