Brazil sack Diniz after Ancelotti's snub: Who will replace him?

At the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF), the mayhem keeps on going. Friday officially marked the end of Fernando Diniz’s tenure as Brazil’s national team coach.

During his one-year tenure as coach, Diniz oversaw six 2026 World Cup qualifiers. He led his team to three losses, one tie, and two victories. As far as South American teams go, Brazil won the sixth and last automatic qualification spot for the World Cup.

In addition to his responsibilities at the defending Copa Libertadores winners Fluminense, Diniz was serving in this capacity simultaneously. Following the dismissal, neither Diniz nor Fluminense have made any comments.

Official confirmation of the decision came from the Brazilian Football Confederation.

“The CBF thanks Fernando Diniz for the work he has done, for all his dedication and seriousness, and for the challenge of renewing the Brazilian national team during his tenure. We wish Fernando Diniz the best of luck”, the statement said.

Hod did Diniz fare with Brazil?

When the decision to recruit a permanent head coach was made, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues discussed it with Mario Bittencourt, president of Fluminense. This gathering took place in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup, which the US, Canada, and Mexico will host.

The 2022 World Cup was the last tournament in which the Seleção had a permanent head coach. After losing to Croatia in the Quarter-Finals, Tite decided to step down from his role. Prior to Diniz’s appointment, under-20s coach Ramon Menezes was in command.

Last July, Rodrigues said that Carlo Ancelotti will replace Diniz at Real Madrid this summer. However, Ancelotti, 64 years old, renewed his contract with Real Madrid last month, extending it until June 2026.

Diniz’s axing follows Rodrigues’ restoration to the president of the CBF by only one day. At the beginning of December, the Court of Justice in Rio de Janeiro dismissed him.

A court in Rio de Janeiro dismissed Rodrigues as president on December 7 on charges of electoral fraud from his 2022 election. The verdict was overturned by Justice Gilmar Mendes of the Supreme Court, who cited “evident risk of damage” in his ruling. That manner, Brazil would risk being disqualified from the Olympic qualifications in Paris due to meddling.

Who will replace him?

An anonymous CBF source told the Associated Press that Rodrigues informed Fluminense first, and then Diniz. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to address the matter.

One of the sources told Reuters that Diniz’s exit resulted from the national team’s performance falling short of expectations.

Meanwhile, another source has revealed to Reuters that the CBF are getting ready to make a bid for Dorival Junior, the coach of Sao Paulo, to be the next head coach. Junior is the proud winner of the 2022 Brazilian Cup and the Copa Libertadores.

They state that Ednaldo has initiated discussions with Sao Paulo’s president, Julio Casares, indicating his desire to bring in Dorival Jr. He emphasized urgency due to the upcoming season. Julio assured him that he would speak to Dorival, assuring a resolution by Monday.

Photo credits: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire : IMAGO / NurPhoto