Brazil say winning Confed Cup opener is crucial
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil will be playing for more than a victory when they face Japan in the Confederations Cup opener today.
Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said yesterday that winning the first match will be crucial to winning the support of demanding home fans and to put the squad on the right track for its fourth title in the World Cup warm-up tournament.
“It’s fundamental to win this match and that’s what I’ve been telling the players.” Scolari said. “We need to have the fans on our side, so it’s important we get off to a good start.”
Brazil haven’t won a significant title since the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa and home fans have criticised and jeered the national team following a series of poor results recently.
“We need to take advantage of the home fans, and to do that we need to play well,” Scolari said. “Our team is not fully ready yet and we know it’s not going to be easy, but we need to work hard to keep the fans on our side.”
Scolari led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title but has endured disappointing results in the seven matches he coached since returning to the national team in December. Brazil are coming off a convincing 3-0 win over France in their final warm-up, but they had won only one of their six matches until then, against Bolivia.
Scolari and the Brazilian players were loudly jeered and booed by nearly 50,000 home fans after a 2-2 draw in a friendly against Chile in April.
Scolari knows first-hand how an opening loss at home could make the team’s path to the title more difficult. He was head of the home team when he coached Portugal at the 2004 European Championships, when the hosts lost the opening match but eventually reached the final.
“It’s horrible to lose the first match at home, just horrible,” he said. “It’s tough to handle and that’s something we have to avoid at all costs. If we lose, it’s going to be difficult with the fans, the media, with everything.”
Scolari said it’s even tougher because Brazil are not as respected at home as they are abroad. Brazilian fans often feel distant from the national team, in part because most of the players are from foreign clubs.
