It may seem to many casual watchers that coach Dunga is in a permanent bad humor mood. However, Dunga himself and several of his current and past fellow workers say that, outside the pitch, he is a good humored, easy going guy.
To journalists who follow the Brazilian team, the real bad guy of the staff is Jorginho, whose official position is “auxiliar técnico”, or “techical assistant”. Jorginho is the guy to the right side of Dunga in most interviews, trainings or any other event related to the Brazilian team.
In practice, what Jorginho does very often is to defend Dunga against criticizers; this is similar to what happened in 1994, when coach Parreira (also much criticized) had Zagallo to defend him. Last week, when the Brazilian players for 2010 were announced, Dunga was much calmer than usual, and Jorginho took for himself the task of defending the choices made by them (and there is no doubt that Dunga listened to Jorginho’s opinions before defining the roster).
Jorginho was a successful player, having been in the Brazilian team champion of the World Cup 1994; he played in Flamengo and in several important teams in Germany.
Dunga and Jorginho have been friends since 1982, when they played in the sub-20 Brazil team, and won the World Title in 1983 (Dunga and Jorginho, along with Bebeto, were appointed as rising stars of that tournament).
After retiring from the fields, Jorginho started a short career as coach. When Dunga became coach of the Brazilian team, the first person he called to his staff was Jorginho.
Jorginho is not only a member, but also a founder and current President of the NGO Atletas de Cristo (Athletes of Christ), a group of Evangelicals which congregate several Sports people in Brazil. He said in an interview that only after finding Jesus did he manage to quit alcoholism and become a successful man.
In the Brazilian team, two of the most important players, Lucio and Kaká, are member of the group; the influence of the group is stronger, though, and explains why the entire team was praying on their knees after recent victories.
Best paid coach is Fabio Capello, the Italian who manages the English Team, with an annual salary of € 8,800,000; distant second is Marcelo Lipi, from Italy, with € 3,000,000. Salaries listed do not include other perks such as bonus for victories, championships, etc, which can explain some of the differences.
Below, the list of all 32 coaches.
Interesting to notice that Brazilian coach Dunga is listed with a salary of € 800,000 per year, or about € 66,666 per month, or about US$ 100,000, or about R$ 170,000 per month (all values approximated using current exchange rates).
Dunga’s official salary was not disclosed, because CBF, the Brazilian Confederation, who pays Dunga’s salary, doesn’t have to disclose it. But it is very unlikely that Dunga would accept to coach the Brazilian Team for such a salary.
Not that is a low salary, per Brazilian standards. Minimum wage in Brazil is currently R$ 550 per month, or about € 220 per month (someone with a minimum wage, which comprehends a lot of people in Brazil, would take 25 years to get what Dunga gets in one month). But football in Brazil pays top salaries to some people.
In June of 2009, the best paid coach in Brazil was Carlos Alberto Parreira, with a wage of R$ 500,000, or about € 200,000 per month; Parreira was then coach of Fluminense, and today he is back to manage the South Africa team, probably with a salary higher than the € 100,000 monthly informed in the above list (during the first sting of Parreira as South Africa’s coach, in 2006, the announcement that his salary would be US$ 253,000 per month caused a revolt in South Africa).
Vanderlei Luxemburgo, winner of five National Leagues (most ever), ex-coach of Brazil team, is one of the highest salaries in the country: around R$ 570,000, or € 220,000 per month. Muricy Ramalho was national champion in 2006, 2007 and 2008; when he moved from Sao Paulo FC to Palmeiras, there were rumors that his salary was around R$ 460,000, or € 190,000 per month. Luis Felipe Scolari, the coach of Brazil in World Cup 2002, was recently quoted as the coach with highest salary in the world, with € 16,600,000 per year.
In a recent interview, Dunga said that he is aware of the responsibility of managing the Brazilian team. It is very likely that he demanded a salary compatible with such responsibility.
I recently came across this excellent interview with Dunga, the coach of the Brazilian team. The interviewer was Cosme Rímoli, a prestigious sports journalist who covered the last four World Cups and currently works with Record, an important mainstream news network in Brazil.
The interview happened in an airport, just before Dunga took off to South Africa to attend the draw of the groups of the World Cup. It was a personal talk, and Dunga seems to have had felt more at ease to express himself. Below, translation (not verbatim) of relevant parts of the interview:
Q: Are you worried about France and Portugal not being seeds, and the possibility that they fall in the group of Brazil?
A: Brazil doesn’t fear anyone. Of course that it would be better to start off with weaker adversaries and grow from there. But I speak sincerely: I don’t fear France nor nothing nor anybody. We have done a good work, and we can face anyone who comes around. We respect everyone, but we can’t forget that we are the Brazilian team. (Note: after the draw, Dunga declared that “Brazil is in a difficult group, and this is good, as the team will be obliged to stay alert right from the start”).
Q: Why are you so certain (of a good performance by Brazil)?
A: Because of what we acomplished in America Cup 2007, Confederations Cup 2009 and the Qualifying. Many people doubted of my work, I know that. I was called to change the whole scenery, and it wasn’t n easy task. I got expressive results, which other coaches, more experienced, didn’t. I suffered a huge pressure, but I could mold and impose my way of working to the team. I did a long work of observations, I gave chances to whoever deserved. We managed to put together a group in which I trust. I am certain that our work was the best possible.
Q: You said you had to change the scenario. Are you talking about the fiasco in Germany?
A: I was there and I know that many things didn’t work quite right. I was captain of the team champion in the United States, and I saw the difference in attitude between then and Germany. I won’t get into details because I wasn’t member of the team, all I can say is that my work has been and will continue being during the Cup just the way I am: very serious and committed. To win a World Cup, it takes self giving, commitment, seriousness. And we will have all that in South Africa. I say so because I know profoundly the group that I formed.
Q: Are you saying that we won’t see in South Africa all that hype and looseness we saw in Germany, where players were released to party until 5 am?
A: I am glad you asked. I am telling you that the Brazilian team will behave in South Africa in the way that the media always asked. I am tired of hearing you say that the European teams are correct. Then, we will follow the same path of professionalism and modernity that they adopt. I am warning you: I won’t listen to complaints in South Africa. We will be as much or even more professionals than the Europeans, particularly towards the media. (Note: the movie below gives and idea about how Brazil prepared to the games in 2006).
Q: I got it. Parreira (coach of Brazil in 2006, currently coach of the South Africa team) was too loose, and you won’t be.
A: You are intelligent, you know what I mean. Important: I am not blaming anyone, I am talking about the context. I don’t know how far Parreira could go to impose limits. In other past cups, there was even more freedom, and Brazil ended champion. But times have changed. Physical fitness, concentration, and focus must be total. Over these three and a half years I’ve been coach, everybody who worked with me had it clear the commitment it takes to stay in the Brazilian team. And during the Cup, the dedication of everyone will be even bigger.
Q: Do you think you will be able to control the players during the Cup?
A: I repeat that the word commitment has a very clear meaning to me. A World Cup stays forever. The player who comes there with me shall delve into the Cup and do not think about anything else. We will be protected from external factors, including the media (according to the interviewer, that means that contacts between players and journalists will be superficials, probably limited to the group interviews required by FIFA; in Germany, several players waited awaken to be interviewed at the most convenient time by the major Brazilian TVs).
Q: Is the final roster already chosen? Will there be any surprise?
A: My work shows a coherence, a goal. There is a basis already formed, everybody knows that. But the Brazilian team is never fully closed. I can’t say that the 23 players are already defined. Talented players appear all the time.
Q (paraphrased): Do Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos stand a chance of going to South America?
A (paraphrased): No (see this other interview about Ronaldo).
Q: If you win the Cup in 2010, will you stay as coach until the World Cup 2014?
A: Let me be as clear as I can. I won’t stay. Not even if we are champions. There is no way to convince me otherwise. I am a man of word.
Besides having a tradition of bringing good teams to the World Cups, Brazil has also some tradition in bringing respected referees to the Cups. In 1982, the referee of the final match was Arnaldo César Coelho, arguably the best referee ever in Brazil (today, Coelho is chief comentator of powerful TV Globo); in 1986, the referee was José Roberto Wright (who today is also comentator for Globo, but with a smaller presence).
Since then, Brazilian referees have not had an important role in the World Cup, for mostly two reasons. One is that the Brazilian team has had an important role in the Cups, and FIFA wisely avoids conflicts. And the other reason is that Brazil has stopped producing high standard referees.
The referee sent to the Cups of 2002 and 2006 was Carlos Eugênio Simon; besides being a referee with post-gradutation in Sports Cience, Simon is a journalist.
Simon never had the same respect as Coelho and Wright had in the past. And this lack of respect came from journalists, players, coaches and fans. In several occasions, Simon had to step forward to defend himself; one such occasion was the match Italy x Ghana in the World Cup 2006, when Simon failed to point a penalty against the Italians. The movie below shows some controversial matches involving Simon.
Last weekend, Simon saw a fault at this play and called off the goal:
Palmeiras’ President said that Simon was a thief. Simon said he would bring the President to court.
The interview happened in an airport, just before Dunga took off to South Africa to attend the