April 27 – Sao Paulo giants Corinthians are set to appoint Dorival Junior as their new manager after Tite withdrew from contract negotiations for health reasons.
Corinthians will get a former national team manager as coach after all. Dismissed by the Brazilian FA in March following a humiliating 4-1 defeat against Argentina, Dorival Junior will take over the Sao Paulo club with his contract running until 2026.
He succeeds Ramon Diaz, who was dismissed after marquee player Memphis Depay, ex-FC Barcelona, called out the club in an interview with Brazilian TV. Dorival Junior was not the frontrunner to become the new Corinthians manager. The club hierarchy preferred Tite, another former Brazil manager, but following a panic attack Tite took a step back.
Corinthians are battling on three fronts this year – the league, the cup and the Sulamericana, the continent’s second-tier competition – and the club believes it can win a trophy.
In 2022, Dorival Junior won the Copa Libertadores and Cup double with Flamengo. The following year, he clinched the Brazilian Cup again with Sao Paulo. However, his spell with Brazil was disastrous with just seven wins from 16 games. The CBF is seeking to name Carlo Ancelotti or Jorge Jesus as his successor.
On Sunday interim manager Orlando Ribeiro was in charge against of Cornithans but could not prevent slumping to a 4-0 defeat against Flamengo. Dorival Junior will debut on Thursday in the Copa do Brasil against Novorizontino.
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