Nike and Puma Had Coach Parreira as Hostage, Say Brazilian Fans

Brazil returned home from the World Cup on Monday, June 3, to little fanfare, and coach Carlos Alberto Parreira escaping out a back door to avoid fans and the media.

Brazil’s 1-0 defeat to France in Saturday’s quarterfinal left most Brazilians with a feeling of resignation rather than anger. Only a few supporters even bothered to turn up to jeer the squad on its return.

"I would have preferred not to have a scored a goal and to have come home a champion," said midfielder Gilberto, who netted in the 3-1 group-stage win over Japan. "For me, (my goal) didn’t do very much."

Gilberto was the only player cheered by fans at the airport and one of the few to talk to the press.

Later, Parreira held a press conference at the Brazilian Soccer Confederation headquarters and said he regretted the loss as much as anybody else.

"No one here wanted to be champion of the world more them me," he said.

On his future as coach, Parreira said he would only discuss that after talking with confederation president Ricardo Teixeira.

Asked whether Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos was to blame for the hole in Brazil’s defense which allowed the winning goal, Parreira said, "We’re not going to look for a scapegoat where one doesn’t exist. We lost and France won. If no one made any mistakes and everyone was perfect all games would end 0-0."

Most fans, however, were quick to pin all the blame on Parreira.

Jorge Ganem, a 55-year-old lawyer, said Parreira didn’t use his bench more because of contractual obligations to sponsors.

"Look what Parreira’s done, he had a great bench but he didn’t use them because he’s beholden to Nike and Puma or whoever," Ganem said.

Many younger Brazilians couldn’t remember the team coming home before the final.

Pravda – www.pravda.ru

Tags:

You May Also Like

One Word for Brazil: Globalization

My subject is trade policy in Latin America, and the potential gains from greater ...

Brazil Suggests that Neighbors Break Patents to Fight Swine Flu

The leaders of Argentina and Brazil speaking during the Mercosur summit in Paraguay, suggested ...

There’s Still Time to Make Rio +20 Memorable for More Than Rio’s Picture-Perfect Scenery

I’ve been to many great cities around the world, but none surpass Rio’s stunning ...

Brazil’s Airline Gol Vows to Cut Carbon Dioxide by 20%

Brazilian airline Gol plans a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions per ASK (available ...

Brazil’s Central Bank Chief Betting 2006 Will Be Very Good

The president of Brazil’s Central Bank (BC), Henrique Meirelles, calling 2005 a year of ...

First Minas, Now Brazil Floods Spread to Rio and São Paulo

Rosinha Garotinho, the mayor of the town of Campos de Goytacazes, in the state ...

Fields Medal Winner Meets with Brazil President and Asks for More Investment in Science

Mathematician Artur Avila, recipient of the Fields Medal, regarded as the Nobel prize of ...

After Ghana Brazil Takes its Agricultural Technology to South Korea

Embrapa, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, is on the road and crossing borders. Since ...

After Meeting Fidel, Brazil’s Lula Says Cuban Is Fit Enough to Lead Again

Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, before leaving Cuba, where he went for ...

Brazil Supreme Greenlights Stem Cell Research

The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court voted by a narrow margin to uphold legislation allowing ...