Brazil sack coach Mano
Time runs out for coach after failures and poor performances
SAO PAULO: Time ran out for Brazil coach Mano Menezes on Friday when he was sacked as coach of the five time world champions, the country’s demanding football bosses deciding that he was incapable of delivering a sixth title.
Born in the southern Brazilian city of Santa Cruz do Sul on June 11, 1962, Luiz Antonio Venker “Mano” Menezes was a modest defender who plied his trade at amateur level.
His first club was Rosario, a club in Rio Grande do Sul run by his father.
Despite his technical limitations, Menezes demonstrated strong leadership capacity, a trait that would lead him to embark upon a coaching career that started in 1992 in the lower regional leagues.
A restrained character and a man of few words, Menezes would eventually land his first big job with Gremio in 2005, leading the team to the final of the Copa Libertadores where they were defeated by Boca Juniors.
He then took charge of Corinthinas, guiding them back into Brazil’s top tier in 2008 before claiming the Brazilian Cup a year later.
With Brazil qualifying for the 2014 World Cup as hosts, the team have to rely on friendlies – 25 in all – to stay match sharp.
Nine wins were achieved in 2012, but many were against modest opposition such as Iraq and China, both comfortably beaten with few lessons learned.
“Fear of losing has led Brazil to looking to second-class rivals such as China and Iraq,” Rio-based Spanish journalist and sports analyst Pau Ramirez told AFP.
Menezes was appointed Brazil coach in July 2010 following the departure of Dunga after the World Cup in South Africa where the campaign had ended at the quarter-final stage.
But despite having the supremely talented Neymar as a central figure, Menezes was unable to consistently deliver convincing performances, nor successfully integrate the stylish approach demanded by fans.
During his reign, Brazil failed to meet the country’s lofty expectations, bowing out at the quarter-final stage of the 2011 Copa America with his Under-23 team finishing runners-up to Mexico at this summer’s London Olympics.
Menezes was confident of success on both occasions, and despite twice falling short, he was retained after the bitter taste of silver in the British capital.
Menezes oversaw 21 victories against six draws and five defeats but failed to land any silverware aside from the “Superclasico de las Americas” against Argentina, a fixture that since its inauguration in 2011 has solely featured players from the countries’ respective domestic leagues.
With the opportunity to erase what remains Brazilian football’s most painful memory – a defeat to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup final at the Maracana – the national federation was reluctant to take any risks ahead of 2014, opting to cut ties with Menezes.