RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Carlo Ancelotti wore a Brazil national team cap when arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday on the eve of his formal introduction as head coach. He is the first foreigner to coach the five-time World Cup winners full-time in a century.
The 65-year-old Italian, who arrived in Brazil just before 9 p.m. local time with several family members and his coaching staff, will also announce his squad Monday for two South American World Cup qualifying matches next month against Ecuador and Paraguay.
Ancelotti arrived hours after Samir Xaud was elected for a four-year term as president of the Brazilian soccer confederation. Sunday's election marked the end of a tumultuous process, mired in legal procedures that removed Ednaldo Rodrigues as CBF president. It was Rodrigues who hired Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
There was no organized reception for Ancelotti; only one fan wearing a Brazil shirt saw Ancelotti leave Rio’s international airport after his arrival on a private jet.
He will find more local warmth at the hotel where he's set to give his first news conference as Brazil coach on Monday.
Some fans who were casually wearing Brazil's shirt at the airport said they're optimistic about the team's chances under the new coach.
Before Ancelotti, Brazil caretaker coaches Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz failed to bring good results and performances, and Dorival Júnior was fired in March after a 4-1 defeat at Argentina.
Ancelotti, whose contract with Brazil runs through the next World Cup, is expected to meet the CBF leadership before facing the domestic media.
“We can't trust Neymar, we can't trust the CBF, but Ancelotti does bring us hope,” said Flávio Mileny, a fan from the city of Belem visiting Rio and wearing Brazil's blue shirt. “Even if he doesn't bring the World Cup next year, hopefully he will stay on to win the next. He has won it all, it is a great beat that Brazil is making now.”
Eliane Salieri, who was wearing a Brazil national team jacket, said it was time for a foreigner to come in as head coach.
“I would have preferred Jorge Jesus, who coached Flamengo and won many titles here,” Salieri said in a reference to the Portuguese manager who was recently fired from Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal. “But this guy Ancelotti is great, he was won everything. Everyone will respect him.”
Xaud didn't face any challengers in his bid for the CBF president's job, despite the fact he has never run a soccer body in his career. He comes from the Amazon state of Roraima, bordering Venezuela, with only 10 clubs under its helm — none of them in top divisions.
Xaud's father has run the local soccer federation for four decades, and he was expected to take over next year. Though he had support from local state federations, which are key in the election, the vast majority of Brazil's top-flight clubs refused to send representatives to the confederation's headquarters to give support to the new president.
Xaud told journalists that Ancelotti “will have full autonomy” and “will be shielded from any possible external situation," in a reference to the confederation's legal woes and internal fighting.
Rodrigues, who was elected in 2022 and had been re-elected for a second term, was removed from the position by a Rio judge's decision due to alleged irregularities in the election process a year earlier.
Rodrigues gave up on any appeals and wished Xaud luck in his term.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Mauricio Savarese, The Associated Press
