Luiz Felipe Scolari used his first press conference as the incumbent Chelsea
manager to admit that he had accepted the job because the money on offer was
too good to turn down. Speaking to the world’s media last night, the
Portugal coach moved to clear up the chain of events that had culminated in
Wednesday night’s announcement that he would be taking the position.
Once Chelsea had made a formal approach with a four-year contract believed to
be worth £5.5m a year, the Brazilian asked his present employers if they, or
team sponsors Nike and Caixa Bank, would be able to bridge the gap between
his current annual salary, about £1.75m, and the new deal on offer.
“People were aware of what was happening, especially the president of the
Portuguese Football Federation [Gilberto Madail]. We looked for solutions
with sponsors but some sponsors didn’t give their acceptance. We wanted to
get a similar proposal but none of them won [out]. So I was told I was free
to negotiate with other parties and I negotiated. We always knew that one
day we would conclude this relationship and now the arrangement is at an
end. We should stop talking about this topic because it is not going to
change anything. I am working until the end of Euro 2008. I love Portugal
and I adore everything I have done.”
Scolari does not, however, envisage serving at Stamford Bridge for much longer
than the period of his contract. “Money does matter but it wasn’t the only
reason. I’m 59 and I will be 60 soon and I don’t want to be technical coach
forever. I want to work for five more years and then I want to retire. You
only get an opportunity once so take it or leave it.”
Referring to the approach made by the FA two years ago, when he had been
invited to take up the England manager’s job, he said: “I was offered
another position before the 2006 World Cup and some Portuguese people didn’t
like that situation. It is a cultural thing. We have difficulty accepting
that a coach might have another contract that starts after [Euro 2008] but
for the time being he is still working hard for his team.”
When asked about his possible difficulties communicating in English, he
replied: “I speak English with my players. I speak German, Italian, Spanish,
you name it. There is only one language in football.”
Big Phil, as he is universally known, is renowned for his short fuse. At the
end of Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Serbia in Lisbon last September he threw a
punch at Ivica Dragutinovic, the Serbian defender, and during last
Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over the Czech Republic, which clinched a place in
the quarter-finals at Euro 2008, he slapped one of his own substitutes hard
around the face, pour encourager les autres. Challenged about his
fiery reputation, he told journalists to speak to his wife: “You have to ask
my wife. She knows more than I do. I like to play, I like to make jokes and
I like to work with my players in a good atmosphere. I feel comfortable
anywhere in the world because I can establish good relationships with people
around me.
“I don’t like high society, I’m not someone who likes to go to parties and
socialise, I’m shy.”
Clearly the Brazilian is more than a bad-tempered bully boy. A World Cup
winner, with Brazil in 2002, a European Championship finalist, with Portugal
four years ago, and a Libertadores (South American) club champion with
Gremio and Palmeiras, he has the most impressive CV of any manager to work
in England. Better than Jose Mourinho, Arsène Wenger, Gerard Houllier or
Rafael Benitez.
The £5m-a-year question is whether or not he can translate success at
international level into the silverware-with-style his new employer, Roman
Abramovich, craves. Scolari is not typically Brazilian, and Chelsea fans
should beware the samba stereotype. Their new man comes from Italian stock
(his father is from Verona), and his philosophy has more in common with catenacciothan
the Beautiful Game.
Before analysing what he will bring to the Premier League party, it is worth
considering two apparent inconsistencies about his appointment. The first is
that he turned down the chance to manage England, having allegedly been put
off by the intrusive nature of the media. If he thought 10 games per season
as manager of the national team was too onerous, in terms of exposure, does
he really envisage attracting less attention playing twice a week with
Chelsea?
His dislike for, and lack of cooperation with, the press is well known, and at
Portugal’s camp here in picturesque Neuchatel resembles a cross between Fort
Knox and Alcatraz. The entire Beau Rivage Hotel, as five-star as they come,
has been taken over for the duration and turned into a total exclusion zone,
with screens behind the 6ft wire fences and police launches patrolling the
lake outside.
Chelsea’s Cobham training facility, with its Russian security presence, is
known as “The Lubyanka” but resembles Disneyland by comparison. The
Abramovich apparatchiks assure us that Scolari will be more communicative
when he gets to England, but don’t hold your breath. “Happy” Harry Redknapp
he isn’t.
The other worrying paradox is that Abramovich let it be known through “the
usual channels” that he wanted more entertainment for his roubles -
the expansive to go with the expensive. Scolari, however, has long been the
high priest of pragmatism, whose principal tenet of faith amounts to: “Thou
shall not take risks.” Those who know him well say he is Mourinho without
the charm. A player of modest attainment with unfashionable clubs such as
Novo Hamburgo and Juventude, Scolari first came to prominence in management
13 years ago, when he won South America’s prestigious Libertadores Cup with
a physical Gremio team who were widely criticised for their strong-arm
tactics. Four years later, having moved on to Palmeiras, Scolari won the
coveted Libertadores again, this time with an approach that was easier on
the eye, with Alex a clever left-footed playmaker. There was less success at
Cruzeiro, but in 2001 it was Scolari to whom Brazil turned in one of their
darkest hours, when it seemed that the most celebrated football team of them
all wouldn’t qualify for the World Cup. Not only did Scolari get them to
Japan, they won the tournament for the fifth time, defeating England in the
quarter-finals.
Portugal quickly doubled the wages the cash-strapped Brazilians were paying
and engaged Scolari to lead them into the European Championship they were
about to host. He was just the man to guide their so-called “Golden
Generation” which had talent and creativity in abundance but lacked
discipline and organisation.
Portugal edged past England on penalties and got all the way to the final,
only to fall victim to outsiders Greece. But if his reputation suffered, you
wouldn’t have guessed it. England made their move for him, and he met their
head-hunters and indicated his willingness to jump ship, but then had an
11th-hour change of heart. There remains the impression at the Football
Association that Scolari always intended to use their offer to prise a
better contract out of the Portuguese. Fast forward to the present, and
Portugal have made a highly promising start in Geneva, seeing off Turkey
comfortably and then the Czechs (less so than the 3-1 scoreline might
suggest), to book their place in the last eight with a game to spare.
Ronaldo, coming off his annus mirabilis with Manchester United, is
better than ever, while Deco is back to form after a disappointing season
with Bar-celona and Armando Petit, Joao Moutinho and Simao all look the part
as potential finalists.
Scolari has an enviable seam of talent to mine, and is putting it to handsome
use. Unproven in English football or not, it is no wonder Chelsea are
willing to pay him a fortune to try to knock United off their perch. Can he
do it? Only time will tell, and even with Abramovich’s largesse it is unfair
to expect it at the first attempt. He will need to get the feel and
experience of the pace of the Premier League.
What is certain is that Chelsea supporters are in for an eventful ride that
could make even the lamented “Special One” seem sedate. How would Portugal’s
players describe the manager who claims to have used mystic methods to
further his team’s aims? A cross between the avuncular and the intimidating
was the gist from Ricardo Carvalho, who is about to play for Scolari at
club, as well as international, level. Dropped for the first match at Euro
2004, the Chelsea defender knocked on the manager’s door and received the
proverbial flea in his ear by way of response. Scolari, however, admired his
“big balls”, Carvalho played the next game and has never been dropped since.
“That was a turning point for me,” the 30-year-old centre-half said. “I had to
say my piece and he was very fair about it. He likes to have what he calls
five leaders of the team, and he has made me one of them. He sees me as a
role model, and I’m very honoured by that.” Carvalho added that although
Scolari was essentially a defensive coach , he was also practical, open to
logical persuasion. “Portugal have many players who like to go forward and
can make a big difference in front of goal,” he explained. “The manager
cannot change that, so he cannot change us into a defensive team. We have
great wingers who love to go forward, so he lets them play. I enjoy playing
for this team because we like to have the ball and create chances.” Another
Scolari protege, Ronaldo, believes Chelsea should sit back and enjoy what’s
coming. “Scolari is a great man and a great coach,” he said. “Portugal are
playing more as a team than we did two years ago, and he has given us that.
He has filled us with ambition. Personally, he gives me the freedom I need,
allowing me to switch wings when I want to and to dribble and drive the team
forward.” Ronaldo could have been talking about his own situation when he
added: “He needs to look after his future. I respect that. He wants better
things for himself and his family, which is only correct. Football is always
like that.”
The bond between the two men is such that it would be a surprise if Scolari
did not try to persuade Abramovich to reunite them at Stamford Bridge.
United would respond to a bid for the jewel in their crown from Chelsea with
even greater hostility than they showed Real Madrid, and a more realistic
target is Ronaldo’s predecessor as the world’s best player, Ronaldinho,
another of the manager’s favourites in their Brazil days. It was with the
appointment of Scolari in mind that Manchester City tried to sign Ronaldinho
last month, and the European grapevine has it that he first delayed, and
then turned them down, while he waited to discover where his old manager was
going next.
Scolari would also like Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard to stay, but the smart
money is on both moving on. It is my understanding that the new manager has
already begun the recruitment process and was behind the recent acquisition
of Jose Bosingwa, Portugal’s right-back, from Porto. He wants to keep Paulo
Ferreira, playing left-back here, and Carvalho, which would give him three
of Portugal’s back four. Yet it is further forward that he will be doing
serious business, with Chelsea in the market for the prolific striker they
lacked last season.
Off the field, Steve Clarke will be kept on in the interests of continuity,
but there are doubts about the security of Frank Arnesen, once a major
influence behind the scenes but now marginalised as academy director.
Out in Basle last night, the wind of change was brewing. England may have
missed out on this European Championship, but the country is about to gain
one hell of a character.
Scolari’s words of wisdom
‘I’ll wait for you outside, mate’ - Scolari to a referee who ordered him from
Brazil’s bench in 2000
‘I believe firmly in astrology. Since I was a kid, the stars told me I was a
winner’
‘If someone talks about my private life, I’ll give them a good punching. I’m
not interested in suing. I like to sort things out my way’
‘Pele knows nothing about soccer. His analysis turns out to be always wrong.
If you plan on winning a title, do the opposite of what Pele says’
‘If we have to play ugly to reach the objective, we will play ugly. What’s the
point of a cup? To be champions’
‘He was going to hit [Ricardo] Quaresma and I defended him’ - Scolari stands
up for his players by thumping Serbian defender Ivica Dragutinovic
Scolari joins the rich list
THE WORLD’S BEST-PAID BOSSES
1 Jose Mourinho (Inter Milan) £7m
2 Luiz Felipe Scolari (Chelsea) £5.5m
3 Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) £4.5m
Fabio Capello (England) £4.5m
5 Kevin Keegan (Newcastle) £4m
6 Carlo Ancelotti (AC MIlan) £3.6m
Sir Alex Ferguson (Man Utd) £3.6m
8 Harry Redknapp (Portsmouth) £3m
Mark Hughes (Man City ) £3m
Roy Keane (Sunderland ) £3m
11 Rafa Benitez (Liverpool) £2.5m
David Moyes (Everton) £2.5m
(approximate annual salaries)
SCOLARI’S RECORD
A tough defender, he played for Brazilian clubs Aymore, Caxias, Novo Hamburgo,
Juventude and CSA before going into coaching. He spent much of his
managerial career in Brazilian club football, but has also coached club
sides in Japan and the Middle East, before taking on the Brazil job in 2001
Coaching jobs (in Brazil unless stated): 1982 CSA, 1982-83 Juventude,
1983 Brasil de Pelotas, 1984-85 Al Shebab (S Arabia), 1986 Brasil de
Pelotas, 1986-87 Juventude, 1987 Gremio, 1988 Goias, 1988-90 Al Qadisiya
(Kuwait), 1990 Kuwait, 1991 Criciuma, 1991 Al-Ahli (Saudi Arabia), 1992 Al
Qadisiya, 1993-96 Gremio, 1997 Jubilo Iwata (Japan), 1997-2000 Palmeiras,
2000-01 Cruzeiro, 2001-02 Brazil, 2003-08 Portugal, 2008 Chelsea
Club honours Copa Libertadores: 1995 (Gremio), 1999 (Palmeiras)
Brazilian Cup: 1991 (Criciuma), 1993 (Gremio), 1998 (Palmeiras) Brazilian
league: 1996 (Gremio) S American Super Cup: 1996 (Gremio) Mercosur Cup: 1998
(Palmeiras)
International honours Brazil 2001-02: World Cup winners 2002, left
Portugal 2003-08: runners-up Euro 2004
Ronaldo row promises Ferguson fireworks
- Luiz Felipe Scolari could get a frosty reception when he takes Chelsea to
Old Trafford next season after reports that he’s advised Cristiano Ronaldo
to quit Manchester United just weeks after winning the European Cup and move
to Real Madrid
- Sir Alex Ferguson, United’s manager, didn’t always see eye to eye with Jose
Mourinho when he was at Chelsea, but there was always mutual respect and a
shared bottle of red wine after the game. If Ferguson fi nds out Scolari did
tell Ronaldo to move to Spain, the Brazilian will have made a bitter enemy
- It is believed United see Scolari as deliberately trying to sabotage the European
champions’ push for further glory just when they appear to be on the brink
of great things. Not that Big Phil will lose much sleep over that. He is
used to making enemies and has already been criticised by Carlos Queiroz,
United’s Portuguese No 2, who was annoyed that Scolari insisted on playing
Ronaldo in a Euro 2008 qualifier against the club’s wishes, resulting in the
player aggravating an ankle injury. Queiroz, tipped to be offered the job as
Portugal coach when Scolari joins Chelsea on July 1, said the Brazilian
behaved like ‘one of those people you lend your car to when it has a full
tank of gas and they use it all week, crash it and then leave it on a side
street with no gas and aren’t even polite enough to tell you where they left
it’
- Ferguson and Scolari have gone head-to-head only once before. In the 1999
Intercontinental Cup match in Tokyo, Ferguson's European champions beat Big
Phil’s Palmeiras, the South American champions, with a goal from Roy Keane
Inside the mind of Luiz Felipe Scolari: 12 things everybody should know
about the new Chelsea boss
1 The hard man Scolari was fined £10,000 and banned for two months for
losing his temper and landing a left hook on Serbia defender Ivica
Dragutinovic after a Euro 2008 qualifier
2 The star gazer He admits to recruiting two astrologers to advise him
on team selection before a Brazil World Cup qualifier for 2006
3 The man with a grudge Scolari never forgets a slight and has been
know to confront newspaper reporters. ‘I note the names of every critic in a
book. If someone talks about my private life I’ll give them a good punching’
4 The dictator Scolari is used to getting his own way so perhaps it’s
no surprise that he admits to being an admirer of General Augusto Pinochet
the late Chilean president, who was facing around 300 criminal charges
relating to human rights abuses when he died in 2006. ‘He tortured a lot but
there is no illiteracy in Chile’
5 The general Scolari’s football philosophy is based on The Art of War,
a treatise on military strategy by Sun Tzu, a Chinese general in the 6th
century BC. ‘If you know yourself and your enemy, you can come out of a
hundred battles without danger’
6 The winner With the World Cup on his CV there should be no doubting
his abilities, though some point out that Scolari has never managed a club
in Europe. On the other hand, he has won the Copa Libertadores - South
America’s Champions League - with two different clubs in Brazil
7 The psychologist Scolari has leant heavily on Regina Maria Ferreira
Brandao a leading sports psychologist, for 10 years. She helps the coach
prepare for matches by supplying in-depth mental profiles of each player
8 The communicator Scolari’s English is by no means as poor as has been
reported. He has an Italian passport - his family were originally from
northern Italy - and having coached in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Japan
and Portugal, it won’t be long before Chelsea talk his language
9 The macho man Prone to using physical threats to settle disputes, he
outraged Brazil’s liberal community in 2001 when he was reported as saying
he would never select a gay footballer. He has since tried to distance
himself from those remarks
10 The man of religion A devout Roman Catholic, he has been on a
pilgrimage back home in Brazil and his backroom staff carry statues of Our
Lady of Fatima to every game
11 The devoted husband He has been married to wife Olga, 58 a biology
graduate and amateur painter, for 35 years. They met as teenagers. He was
working as a petrol pump attendant and she was his best friend’s girlfriend
12 The nomad Scolari’s five years with Portugal have been his longest
spell in any job. Chelsea will be his 20th management job since he started
coaching in 1982
Spend, spend, spend: Big Phil’s shopping list
POTENTIAL SIGNINGS
Ronaldinho (Barcelona)
Surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp after a disappointing season during
which the former world player of the year lost form, fi tness and his way.
Scolari mentored him with Brazil, would have signed him for Manchester City
had he taken the job at Eastlands and will believe he can rejuvenate him at
Stamford Bridge
Ricardo Quaresma (Porto)
Penetrative winger, 24, who can play on the right or left flank. Was widely
expected to start Euro 2008 on the left, having been in outstanding form for
Porto all season and after playing in the warm-up games, but lost out to
Simao
Deco (Barcelona)
The 30-year-old Brazilian-born playmaker had a poor season but has recovered
his best form at Euro 2008. Scolari is a big fan and will make him central
to his team-building at Stamford Bridge. He gave Deco permission to leave
Portugal’s hotel in Neuchatel for talks with Peter Kenyon, Chelsea’s
managing director, on Thursday
David Villa (Valencia)
Wanted by Arsenal, but Scolari will be confi dent of outbidding them. Chelsea
suffered for the lack of a prolifi c striker last season and with Didier
Drogba on the way out, Villa, at 26, is in his prime
LIKELY SALES
Florent Malouda
The French winger has been a major disappointment since his big-money transfer
from Lyons last summer and, despite his bigger name and reputation, his
place in the Chelsea starting XI was always under pressure from Salomon
Kalou. Malouda was understood to be on the way out even before Scolari
accepted the job at Stamford Bridge
Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard
Scolari is believed to be a fan of both, but was made aware that they would
probably be leaving the club before he agreed to take the position.
Replacing their scoring potential will be the immediate priority and won’t
be easy
Nicolas Anelka and Andriy Shevchenko
Again, Scolari has been told that they are unwanted, and in neither case will
he have objected. Anelka, who joined from Bolton Wanderers in the January
transfer window, has struggled to make any impact - and missed a crucial
penalty in the Champions League final shootout. Shevchenko, signed from AC
Milan for a huge fee, was clearly past his best, and regarded as such by
Jose Mourinho from day one. A return to Italy is the most likely solution to
the problem
Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole
Scolari likes wingers, witness Cristiano Ronaldo, Simao and Quaresma, but he
is said to have been unimpressed by these two for England whenever he has
seen them. Wright-Phillips has not trained on since he arrived from
Manchester City three years ago. Cole can be brilliant, but he’s too often
flattered to deceive
