The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed the appointment of former World Cup winning goalkeeper Gilmar Rinaldi on Thursday, three days after coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and his backroom staff resigned following Brazil’s humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany in their World Cup semi-final.
The man charged with rebuilding Brazil’s national soccer team was reserve keeper in 1994 when Brazil won their fifth World Cup title. The 55-year-old kept goal for Internacional, Sao Paulo, Flamengo and Cerezo Osaka in Japan, before returning to his homeland to serve as technical director at Flamengo.
“He is general coordinator and he will coordinate all Brazil’s national teams, including the women’s team,” CBF president Jose Maria Marin said at a news conference in Rio de Janeiro.
“He is the link between the president and the coaches.”
Marin said Brazil hope to appoint Scolari’s replacement by next Tuesday.
Rinaldi, however, stressed that there was no chance of them hiring a foreign coach for the first time in Brazil’s history, as many have called for.
“I think this is the time to look inside our own house, for someone who knows our problems and qualities – and there are many,” said Rinaldi.
“We want someone who knows us and we don’t have a lot of time, we want to choose someone quickly. We have a lot of good and well trained coaches. I don’t think (a foreign coach) would adapt to what we want right now.”
Brazil’s next matches are friendlies in September against Ecuador and Colombia. Their next competitive fixtures will be in next year’s Copa America in Chile.
