luiz felipe scolari

Playing career

A defender regarded as more uncompromising than skilful (he was known as "wooden leg" among his contemporaries), Scolari followed in the footsteps of his father Benjamin, who was also a professional footballer.[1] His playing career encompassed spells with Caxias, Juventude, Novo Hamburgo and CSA, and often captained his sides. It was with CSA that he won his only major title as a player - the Alagoano state championship.

[edit] Managerial career

[edit] Club management

[edit] Early career

Upon retiring as a player in 1982, he was appointed manager of CSA, winning the Alagoano state championship in his first season. After spells with Juventude (twice), Brasil de Pelotas and Al-Shabab of Saudi Arabia, he moved to unfashionable Grêmio, where he won the 1987 Gaúcho state championship.

[edit] Kuwait

He then had a two year stint in charge of Kuwaiti side Al Qadisiya Kuwait, with whom he won the prestigious Kuwait Emir Cup in 1989. This was followed by a brief stint as manager of the Kuwait national team, winning the 10th Gulf Cup in Kuwait. He returned to Brazil after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and coached Criciúma to the Copa do Brasil.

[edit] Grêmio

In 1993 he returned to Grêmio, where he was criticised by the Brazilian media for playing the ugly side of the beautiful game with his players known for getting into brawls during matches. He won six titles in only three years including the Copa Libertadores in 1995 and the Brazilian Championship the following year. They reached the final of the Intercontinental Cup, losing on penalties to Ajax Amsterdam. His team featured no real superstar and depended on workman-like players such as Paraguayan right back Francisco Arce (who he later took to Palmeiras), the tough-tackling midfielder Dinho known as the Brazilian Vinnie Jones, Paulo Nunes and centre forward Mário Jardel.

[edit] Palmeiras

In 1997, Scolari became manager of J. League side Júbilo Iwata, but left after eleven games and shortly afterwards took charge of Palmeiras, one of the biggest clubs in Brazil. In three years, he led Palmeiras to the Copa do Brasil, the Mercosur Cup and their first Copa Libertadores title with a win on penalties over Deportivo Cali of Colombia. They were also runners-up to Manchester United in the 1999 Intercontinental Cup. He was named South American Coach of the Year for 1999.

[edit] International management

[edit] Brazil

Scolari has had two very successful spells in charge of international teams. In June 2001 was appointed manager of his native Brazil, who with five matches remaining were in danger of not qualifying for the 2002 World Cup. Despite losing his first match 1-0 to Uruguay, Scolari guided the team to qualification.

In the build-up to the finals, Scolari famously refused to include veteran striker Romário in his squad, despite public pressure and a tearful appeal from the player himself.[2] Brazil entered the tournament unfancied, but wins over Turkey, China, Costa Rica, Belgium, England and Turkey again took them to the final, where they beat Germany 2-0 to win their fifth title.

[edit] Portugal

Scolari took over as Portugal manager in 2003 and oversaw their preparations as host nation for Euro 2004. In the finals, Portugal got through the group stages and saw off England in the quarter finals on penalties before beating the Netherlands in the semi-finals. However in the final they were beaten by Greece.

He managed Portugal in the 2006 World Cup in Germany where they managed to reach the semi-finals, again coming out victorious in the quarter-finals against England. But they did not reach the final due to a semi-final defeat against eventual runners-up France.

Scolari took Portugal to UEFA Euro 2008 and took them into the knockout stages by winning Group A before being eliminated by Germany in the Quarter Finals. During the tournament he announced that he would be joining Chelsea FC in the 2008/09 season.

[edit] Return to club management

[edit] Chelsea FC

Scolari took over as Chelsea FC manager on July 1, 2008. This was announced shortly after Portugal's Euro 2008 match against the Czech Republic on June 11, 2008. Many Premier League fans will relish the confrontations between Scolari and Sir Alex Ferguson and have been warned to expect "tantrums" and more importantly "triumphs". [3] When asked whether his decision to join Chelsea was financial he responded "Yes, that is one of the reasons". But he added "I'm 59 and I don't want to work as a coach until I'm 70. I want to retire in four or five years, so it was a financial matter but there are other things". He also said "I could offer my son the opportunity to study elsewhere. You only get this kind of opportunity once so you take it or leave it, but it was not only financial."[4]

[edit] Personality

Scolari is famous for his temper and for his histrionic "performance" by the field while the match is going on, reacting strongly to both the best and the worst moments of his team. A good example of his fierce temper was a September 12, 2007 qualifying match for Euro 2008 against Serbia when, at the end of the game, and after the referee had blown the whistle for a 1-1 draw, Scolari, after being slapped in the hand by the Serbian player Ivica Dragutinovic, grazed him in the face with a left hook [5][6]. His character, however, is often seen as a good point, instead of a drawback, because he tries to keep the players (and himself) free of external pressures: he usually demands a lot more freedom than most coaches are allowed and is bent on exerting a somewhat discretionary power. Some critics mostly agree that his unique character was very beneficial to the Portuguese national team, which had a tradition of talented players but never won anything because of excessive intervention from the federation, the clubs and the player's agents, as well as a lack of a true "team spirit". However, his reputation as a "father" and big friend to his players is untouchable.

In the 2002 FIFA World Cup he gave each of his players a copy of Sun Tzu's The Art of War, a Chinese military treatise written during the 6th century BC. He also gave the team recordings of Ivete Sangalo Festa videoclip, to enforce the Brazilian spirit and motivate the team engagement. [7] In the recent 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany he used the The Art of War again to plan his team's win against England. [8].

Scolari also holds Italian citizenship, since his family emigrated from Veneto. He is said to be a fan of Grêmio and Palmeiras.

[edit] Honours

Centro Sportivo Alagoano

* Campeonato Alagoano: 1

1982


Al Qadisiya Kuwait

* Kuwait Emir Cup: 1

1989


Kuwait

* Gulf Cup of Nations: 1

1990


Criciúma

* Copa do Brasil: 1

1991


Grêmio

* Campeonato Gaúcho: 3

1987, 1995, 1996

* Copa do Brasil: 1

1994

* Copa Libertadores: 1

1995

* Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1

1996

* Recopa Sudamericana: 1

1996


Palmeiras

* Copa do Brasil: 1

1998

* Copa Mercosur: 1

1998

* Copa Libertadores: 1

1999

* Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 1

2000


Cruzeiro

* Copa Sul-Minas: 1

2001


Brazil

* FIFA World Cup: 1

2002


[edit] References

1. ^ "How Luiz Felipe Scolari, aka 'wooden leg', emerged from his father's shadow", Daily Telegraph (2008-06-13). Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
2. ^ "Defiant Big Phil leaves out Romario", rediff.com (2002-05-07). Retrieved on 2008-12-06.
3. ^ "Scolari threatens tantrums and triumph", FourFourTwo (2008-06-12). Retrieved on 2008-06-12.
4. ^ "Scolari says money only one reason for NK Dinamo Zagreb move", Reuters (2008-06-15). Retrieved on 2008-06-16.
5. ^ Video of Scolari punch
6. ^ Goal.com - Euro 2008 - Slap Happy Scolari Hits Out At Serbian Player
7. ^ UOL Esporte - Copa do Mundo 2002 - Últimas Notícias
8. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/Document.aspx?id=57D9E1B8-59BD-45CA-A8D4-9D07F2C0C0FC

[edit] External Links

* Chelsea profile

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Carlos Bianchi South American Coach of the Year
1999 Succeeded by
Carlos Bianchi
South American Coach of the Year
2002
Preceded by
Aimé Jacquet FIFA World Cup winning manager
2002 Succeeded by
Marcello Lippi
[show]
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Chelsea F.C. – current squad

1 Čech • 2 Ivanović • 3 A. Cole • 5 Essien • 6 R. Carvalho • 7 Shevchenko • 8 Lampard • 10 J. Cole • 11 Drogba • 12 Mikel • 13 Ballack • 14 Pizarro • 15 Malouda • 16 Bosingwa • 17 Sinclair • 18 Bridge • 19 P. Ferreira • 20 Deco • 21 Kalou • 22 Ben Haim • 23 Cudicini • 24 Wright-Phillips • 26 Terry • 33 Alex • 35 Belletti • 36 di Santo • 39 Anelka • 40 Hilário • 43 Mancienne • Manager: Scolari
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