Danilo and Dani Alves were injured, and Dunga was forced to select Bayern Munich full-back Rafinha to his squad for the upcoming two World Cup qualifiers, but the player rejected it.
Following the decision of Rafinha to turn down the call-up to Brazilian national team, coach Dunga says he respect everyone’s choice, but confirmed he wants to rely only on those who really want to play for Brazil without any doubt. He told SporTV: “I have always talked to Gilmar Rinaldi we want players that are really committed. We respect the opinion of each one, the will of each player, and we try to help the player to take a decision that is best for him. The player has to feel prepared.”
Playing in Germany for over 10 years, Rafinha claimed that he wouldn’t be in Brazil’s plan if it wasn’t for injuries to other players. Without criticizing Rafinha directly, Dunga said that the players should be aware of the high competitiveness in Brazil. He added: “In Europe, the coach calls the player to know if you will play and want to be called up. They have a very small number of players. In Brazil national team, it’s different because there’s a lot of competitiveness. We have four or five players for each position, almost at the same level and for the player to get in the national team, you have to be willing to compete. When the player does not feel ready to compete with others, of course they cannot be in the national team.”
Danilo and Dani Alves were injured, and Dunga was forced to select Bayern Munich full-back Rafinha to his squad for the upcoming two World Cup qualifiers, but the player rejected it.
Following the decision of Rafinha to turn down the call-up to Brazilian national team, coach Dunga says he respect everyone’s choice, but confirmed he wants to rely only on those who really want to play for Brazil without any doubt. He told SporTV: “I have always talked to Gilmar Rinaldi we want players that are really committed. We respect the opinion of each one, the will of each player, and we try to help the player to take a decision that is best for him. The player has to feel prepared.”
Playing in Germany for over 10 years, Rafinha claimed that he wouldn’t be in Brazil’s plan if it wasn’t for injuries to other players. Without criticizing Rafinha directly, Dunga said that the players should be aware of the high competitiveness in Brazil. He added: “In Europe, the coach calls the player to know if you will play and want to be called up. They have a very small number of players. In Brazil national team, it’s different because there’s a lot of competitiveness. We have four or five players for each position, almost at the same level and for the player to get in the national team, you have to be willing to compete. When the player does not feel ready to compete with others, of course they cannot be in the national team.”
