Pressure mounts on Big Phil at Palmeiras
Reuters - Thursday 13 September 2012, 11:22
Pressure mounted on
Palmeiras coach Luiz Felipe Scolari after his team lost 3-1 at
Vasco da Gama on Wednesday, leaving them seven points adrift of
safety in the Brazilian championship relegation zone.
The club's football director Cesar Sampaio said a meeting
would take place on Thursday to discuss the future of former
Brazil, Portugal and Chelsea coach Scolari, who won the 2002
World Cup with his country.
"We're all very sad and worried about the situation,"
Sampaio told reporters after the game.
Scolari, usually known as Felipao (Big Phil) said he had not
contemplated losing his job.
"The idea of quitting has not crossed my mind," he said. "We
have to sit down, chew it over and see what we can do
differently."
Luan headed in Tiago's cross to give Palmeiras the lead in
23rd minute, only for Carlos Tenorio to pull Vasco level with a
close-range effort six minutes later.
The first-half ended with jeers from a sparse Vasco crowd
who also protested against club president Roberto Dinamite.
Vasco, under interim coach Gaucho after Cristovao Borges was
sacked earlier this week, went ahead six minutes after the break
with a Nilson header.
Former Olympique Lyon and Brazil midfielder Juninho
Permanbucano added the third.
Palmeiras dropped to 19th in the 20-team table with 20
points from 24 games, seven behind 16th-place Flamengo. The
bottom four go down.
Neymar, who scored a hat-trick in Brazil's 8-0 friendly win
over China on Monday, scored an early goal as Santos beat
Flamengo 2-0.