SCOLARI HAS ENGLAND REGRET

The Brazilian national team manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has admitted that he is still regretting the fact that he did not take up the England national team job when it was offered to him a few years ago. Scolari was recently appointed as the new Brazilian manager, and he is likely to lead the team into the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Scolari has enjoyed enormous success with the Brazilian and Portuguese national teams over the years. He guided Brazil to the 2002 FIFA World Cup success, while Portugal almost won the Euro 2004.

Scolari came extremely close to securing the England job when he was offered the same back in 2006. England were searching for a replacement for Sven Goran Eriksson, and they identified Scolari as the ideal candidate. However, he chose to remain with Portugal and led them to the fourth place at the World Cup 2006. Back in England for the first time since leaving Chelsea, Scolari has revealed that he had to turn down the opportunity because he was extremely sceptical about the media intrusion into his private life. Scolari has knocked out England once in a major tournament. Portugal managed to beat England on penalties at the 2006 World Cup.

“Of course it hurts. It hurts a lot because I would have loved to have been manager of the England national team. Who wouldn’t? When I was invited to be national coach of England, when we sat together at that time, I still had a contract with the Portugal national team. And I wasn’t willing to break that contract. It was my duty to fulfil that contract. Imagine in 2006 if we had played together? And I already had a contract with the England national team?” said Scolari. The 64-year-old has called up some surprising names for the friendly against England.