Ramalho shrugs off Brazil talk
Reuters - Friday 23 July 2010, 07:23
RIO DE JANEIRO - Fluminense coach Muricy
Ramalho shrugged off speculation he could take over as coach of
Brazil after his team beat Cruzeiro 1-0 to go top of the
Brazilian championship.
The down-to-earth Ramalho is one of Brazil's top coaches,
having led Sao Paulo to three consecutive Brazilian
championship titles between 2006 and 2008.
Mano Menezes and Luiz Felipe Scolari are the other
favourites to replace Dunga, who quit following Brazil's
quarter-final defeat to Netherlands at the World Cup. Brazil
are expected to announce their new coach on Friday.
"I'm just thinking about Fluminense," said Ramalho, after a
second-half header from Leandro Euzebio gave his team the
points in Thursday's match.
"In this type of competition, if you're not really focused
on what you're doing, your players won't be either.
"When you're concentrating, it's difficult to think of
something as important as the national team."
Fluminense, who won the Brazilian championship for the only
time in 1984, have 22 points from 10 games, one ahead of
Menezes' Corinthians.
Scolari was left waiting for his first win in his second
stint as coach of Palmeiras after they blew a two-goal lead and
were held 2-2 by Botafogo.
Marcos Assuncao and Kleber put Palmeiras 2-0 ahead at
halftime but Jobson and Antonio Carlos replied for former South
Africa coach Joel Santana's team.
Palmeiras lost 4-2 to Avai in Scolari's first game at the
weekend.
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