São Paulo manager Ney Franco quashed rumours of a dispute between him and the club’s goalkeeper Rodrigo Ceni after the goalkeeper appeared to suggest an alternative substitution in the club’s 0-0 Copa Sudamerica draw with LDU Loja.
The former Brazil Under-20 coach instead turned the attention to the qualities of his goalkeeper, insisting that Ceni could go on to become a very good manager in his own right, should he so choose.
“Besides his knowledge of football, he is a leader,” Ney Franco told reporters. “I’m not going to talk of ending his career and becoming the coach of a professional team, but he has everything to be a good coach.
“I don’t know if he will go down that route because everyone knows the difficulties of managing in Brazilian football – regardless of division. I guess it’s easier to be a coach of a Serie A team than a Serie B or C side, then further down. But, he has the ability to do it.”
