Romário demands Ancelotti’s dismissal after early World Cup exit
Brazil fell to Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals and what came afterwards off the pitch was, in a way, even louder. Romário got straight to the point: Ancelotti has to go now, no negotiation, no excuse about the contract.
Unfiltered: what the ’94 champion said about the Italian coach
For the star who lifted the trophy in Los Angeles more than three decades ago, there is no legal argument that justifies keeping the coach at the head of the Seleção. “Ancelotti cannot continue as Brazil’s coach after this fiasco and this disgrace. I would tear up that contract and tell him to sue me,” declared the former centre-forward, with the sharpness that has become his trademark.
The CBF, for its part, is split internally. One wing of the board still defends continuing the work with the Italian coach with an eye on the 2030 World Cup. The other sees the defeat to the Scandinavians as a watershed – a humiliation that makes any continuity impossible. And the “he’s young” line – it does not wash for Romário. “A lot of people say: ‘oh, but he’s young.’ Young at what, he has to score that damned goal. Young, average, old – who cares,” he fired. And added: “When you’re there, you have the obligation to score. Endrick missed that goal through his fault alone.”
Vinicius Jr. also took some heat. The episode of the penalty in the first half, taken by Bruno Guimarães on the coaching staff’s instruction, irritated the idol. For Romário, the number 7 needed to have taken the lead role at that moment. “Vini Jr. is the leading actor, the best in our national team. Grab the damned ball, take the penalty and that’s the end of it,” he summed up, without mincing words.
The weight of the moment and what comes next
The early elimination reignites a debate that cyclically returns to Brazilian football: the difficulty of building a style of play that withstands the pressure of major tournaments. The Seleção arrived at the World Cup with high expectations, but went out in the quarter-finals – and went out badly, without convincing at any moment of the decisive game.
Romário is not just a former player speaking out of nostalgia. He is a symbol of what Brazil expects to see within the four lines: objectivity, leadership and efficiency when it matters most. When he points the finger, part of the support listens. And now he is pointing at everyone at the same time – at the coach, at the centre-forward and at the country’s main player.
What the CBF will do with all this pressure is still uncertain. But ignoring this level of noise, coming from the person it comes from, rarely ends well for federations.
