Brazil legend Romario is desperate for Carlo Ancelotti’s contract to be ‘teared up’ following the country’s World Cup last-16 exit.
The five-time winners were dumped out of the competition by Norway last weekend with Erling Haaland scoring a double in a 2-1 win.
The defeat spelled the end of Neymar’s World Cup ambitions with the 34-year-old visibly moved after the final whistle.
There were also tears from ex-Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, who was inconsolable in a post-match interview.
The 34-year-old begrudgingly told reporters: “We will always be the generation that didn’t win the World Cup.”
Brazil appointed legendary Italian manager Ancelotti in the hope of steering the Selecao back to their former glories.
The South Americans have not won the World Cup since 2002 after reaching three consecutive finals.
The closest they came to achieving the feat came as hosts in 2014 when they were thumped 7-1 by Germany in the semi-final.
Pack your bags
But last week’s premature exit has led to calls for Ancelotti to step aside with 1994 World Cup winner Romario the latest to voice his disgruntlement with Brazil’s showing this summer.
Romario said: “He cannot remain Brazil’s head coach.
“If I had been in charge of the federation, I would have walked into the dressing room, told him to go to hell and torn up his contract on the spot.
“The match against Norway was a disgrace. I’d even take him to court. Then we’ll see what happens, but he cannot stay.”
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Romario continued: “We had Dunga. He lost, and he left. We had Luiz Felipe Scolari, he won the World Cup, so he stayed. We had Tite. He lost, he stayed, and then he lost again.
“Now we have this damned Ancelotti, who has lost and will keep on losing.
“He made a lot of mistakes at this World Cup, and none of you in the media are saying a word.
“If he were a Brazilian coach, you would have torn him apart by now.
“But because he’s a foreigner, nobody says anything.”
Ancelotti, who was appointed Brazil boss in May 2025, recently extended his contract until after the 2030 World Cup.
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It remains to be seen whether the 66-year-old will lead Brazil in Morocco, Spain and Portugal in four years’ time, but the country’s Football Director Rodrigo Caetano has thrown his support behind the Italian.
“He is our manager and will be throughout this cycle,” Caetano said after the Norway defeat.
“One of the main reasons we failed in this World Cup was not to have proper, stable guidance long-term that would have prepared our national team the way it should for a World Cup and we cannot make the same mistake again.”
Decisions questioned
Ancelotti has been criticised for various decisions made both before and during the World Cup.
His choice to select an injury-prone Neymar in his 26-man squad ahead of Chelsea’s Joao Pedro split opinion in the country.
Neymar, who played just eight times for Santos this season, picked up another injury prior to the World Cup and was afforded just 40 minutes of playing time.
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Reports in Brazil honed in on the performances of Ancelotti’s side which fell way below the level of expectation.
Following Brazil’s exit, Ancelotti said: “We must continue to work and improve and find new ideas. I believe that this loss is not the end, but the beginning of a new cycle.
“For me, it’s a disappointing result and a great sense of sadness but it also leaves a truly valuable experience, an excellent working group.
“In fact, I want to thank the lads for the atmosphere they created.
“Things don’t always go our way – not everything is always perfect. Today we didn’t deserve to lose, but the opponent must be considered in the equation – and a rival with excellent players who made the difference.”
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