Brazil turn to youth to revive football fortunes

Rio de Janeiro, Oct 28 (IANS) Brazil's football federation has announced plans to build 15 training centres designed to develop young players.

The facilities will be built in states that did not receive matches during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Brazil's youth football coordinator Alexandre Gallo told local daily O Globo Monday, reports Xinhua.

Under the plan, each centre will receive up to 720 players, who will participate in a standardised programme designed to streamline the country's junior coaching structure.

States that will be home to the centres are Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso do Sul, Para, Paraiba, Piaui, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sergipe and Tocantins.

The announcement comes as Brazilian football continues its revamp - both on and off the pitch - following the Selecao's 1-7 World Cup semifinal loss to Germany in July.

In the days after the team's elimination from the tournament, the CBF sacked Luiz Felipe Scolari as coach, appointing Brazil's 1994 World Cup-winning captain Dunga to take charge of the team for a second time.

Dunga's friend and former national teammate Gilmar Rinaldi was named technical director, replacing Carlos Alberto Parreira.

Dunga and Rinaldi have both spoken of the need to improve Brazil's youth coaching structure, pointing to Germany's renowned junior academies.

Following his team's 1-0 victory over Argentina in the World Cup final, Germany coach Joachim Low said the triumph was a result of a decade of investment in grass-roots development.