Brazil FA stance revealed as Carlo Ancelotti remains determined to continue at Real Madrid - Reports
Brazil remain hopeful of convincing Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti to be their next head coach despite the manager saying he is happy with Los Blancos, according to The Athletic.
Tite stepped down from his role as the Selecao manager after they were knocked out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup by Croatia in the quarterfinals in December. The national team have since been on the lookout for a new head coach.
Real Madrid boss Ancelotti quickly emerged as the Brazilian Football Federation's preferred candidate. Despite the Italian being contracted to Los Blancos until 2024, the CBF have been determined to convince him to take charge as their senior national team's manager.
Ancelotti, though, recently poured cold water on the possibility of him being Brazil's next head coach. The tactician openly expressed his desire to remain as the La Liga giants' manager next season.
"Everyone knows really well what my situation is," Ancelotti said (via The Athletic). "I have contract until the end of the 2024 season and I want to stay."
However, Brazil have refused to accept defeat in their attempts to hire the former Chelsea manager, according to the aforementioned source. Although the CBF had set May as the deadline to bring in their next coach, they have decided to extend it to continue trying to convince Ancelotti.
The Selecao, meanwhile, have also considered other candidates to be their next head coach. AS Roma's Jose Mourinho, Fenerbahce's Jorge Jesus, Fluminense's Fernando Diniz and Palmeiras's Abel Ferreira are on their radar, as per the report.
As the search for the next head coach goes on, U20's manager Ramon Menezes will be in charge of Brazil's senior team for their upcoming fixtures. They are scheduled to face Guinea and Cameroon next month. They lost 2-1 against Morocco in a friendly under the 50-year-old in March.
How has Carlo Ancelotti fared as Real Madrid manager?
Carlo Ancelotti, 63, was previously in charge of Real Madrid for two years between 2013 and 2015. He returned for his second stint with the club ahead of the 2021-22 season, replacing Zinedine Zidane.
In his first season back, Real Madrid won La Liga, the UEFA Champions League and the Spanish Super Cup. Carlo Ancelotti also led Los Blancos to a 2-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt to win the UEFA Super Cup in August 2022.
However, the Madrid giants have had a largely disappointing 2022-23 season. They lost to Manchester City in the Champions League semifinals and conceded the league title to Barcelona.
Carlo Ancelotti's side have won only the Copa del Rey this term. It remains to be seen if the underwhelming return will prompt the club's hierarchy to consider replacing the Italian.