‘Why I turned down chance of Celtic job’

CARLOS Alberto Parreira, the legendary Brazilian coach who led his nation to a World Cup triumph in 1994, has revealed he later turned down the manager’s job at Celtic. Speaking exclusively to Sportsmail, he said: ‘I was interviewed for the post but I did not take it further. I had signed a contract with MetroStars (in New York) and I do not break contracts. It was difficult but that is my principle.’ He added of the discussions in 1997: ‘I know all about the history of Celtic and I knew it then but my stance is to honour contracts. I did the same with Benfica over the years. I turned them down because I had signed other deals.’ The talks were in New York and are believed to have involved Fergus McCann, the owner of the club, who then turned to Wim Jansen, the Dutch manager and former international player who immediately led Celtic to a league title that stopped Rangers achieving ten in a row. Parreira was speaking on the 50th anniversary of Brazil’s triumph in the Mexico World Cup, regarded by many as featuring the best international team ever. The 77-year-old was then a young fitness trainer, who joined Mario Zagallo’s staff to hone the superb talents, including Pele, for their challenge at altitude. Parreira then went on to have a stellar career as a coach, leading Brazil to the World Cup in the USA in 1994 and managing Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and South Africa in subsequent finals. Asked if he had any advice for Scotland on how to qualify for Qatar 2022, he said: ‘Qualification from Europe is now so tough. Look at Iceland. They were never considered a possibility to be at big tournaments but look how they have progressed. That is the same story for so many nations. ‘It is all about preparation. You must have a plan. But Scotland is helped by the fact that they have so many good players. There is also another crucial factor. You have to believe. You have been there before, so you can do so again.’ He added: ‘There is a danger of respecting the opposition too much. I feel the key is to enjoy the experience.’