Brazil coach Tite became the second manager to lose his job on penalties, accepting responsibility for a shock defeat to Croatia in the World Cup quarter-final. Unlike Luis Enrique, who took 24 hours to read the room after Spain’s loss to Morocco by the same shootout mechanism, Tite invited the next man in to knock Brazil into some kind of shape.
Tite has confirmed that he will step down as Brazil coach after six years in charge. The 61-year-old had always maintained that he would leave after completing a full World Cup cycle, and so his reign will end with the 4-2 defeat on penalties to Croatia in the World Cup quarter-finals.
“The cycle has ended, and I keep to my word,” he said. “There are other great professionals that can replace me.” But in a sober and largely emotionless press conference, Tite left with a defence of his team’s record, not just against Croatia but in the tournament as a whole. “When their goalkeeper is the best player on the field, the game is talking to you,” he said in reference to Croatia’s Dominik Livakovic. “We had to be more effective in making goals. But did Brazil show their best? Overall, yes.
“I understand that I am the most responsible, but we are all responsible for the loss. It’s not about being a hero or a villain. There is no such thing in sports. Sometimes we have a great performance, we shoot at goal, and the ball deviates. That’s normal. But I can respect the result.”
Bengali