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Brazil boss ditches Romario once and for all
Tuesday 9th April 2002
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has ended Romario's hopes of a World Cup call-up once and for all by excluding the veteran striker from his squad to face Portugal in a friendly on April 17 at Sporting's Alvalade stadium.
The Portugal clash is Brazil's last friendly before the World Cup and Romario needed to make the squad to stand any chance of going to the tournament.
The 36-year-old made a tearful plea to be included last week but Scolari has now made his intentions clear.
"I appreciate Romario's willingness but every other player wants to go to Japan and South Korea too," the coach said. "I will make no further comment on the presence or otherwise of any player on this list."
Other notable absentees - now certain to miss out on the 23-man World Cup party bariing injuries to other players - are Flamengo defender Juan and Corinthians midfielder Vampeta.
Romario has been overlooked by Big Phil since last June's Copa America, when the Vasco da Gama star used an eye-operation he never had as an excuse to miss the tournament.
Scolari insisted on various occasions that he has no quarrel with Brazilian football's ageing golden boy and even opened the door to a return after the failure of Edilson, Luizao, Marcelinho and Ronaldinho in World Cup qualifiers.
But Scolari wanted younger, less opinionated and disruptive players with him in Asia.
The 1994 World Cup winner, top scorer in last season's Campeonato Brasileiro, was recently voted the world's most effective striker by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.
He has a better goal-average than even Sporting forward Mario Jardel - another controversial absentee from Scolari's squad - and Celtic star Henrik Larsson.
Brazil squad
Goalkeepers: Marcos (Palmeiras), Rogerio Ceni (Sao Paulo)
Defenders: Paulo Cesar (Fluminense), Anderson Polga (Gremio), Cafu (Roma), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid), Junior (Parma), Lucio (Bayer Leverkusen), Roque Junior (AC Milan), Edmilson (Lyon)
Midfielders: Gilberto Silva (Atletico Mineiro), Kleberson (Atletico Paranaense), Juninho (Flamengo), Emerson (Roma), Djalminha (Deportivo La Coruna), Denilson (Real Betis), Ronaldinho (Paris-SG), Rivaldo (Barcelona)
Forwards: Edilson (Cruzeiro), Euller (Vasco da Gama), Luizao (Gremio), Ronaldo (Internazionale)
:glasses:
Tuesday 9th April 2002
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has ended Romario's hopes of a World Cup call-up once and for all by excluding the veteran striker from his squad to face Portugal in a friendly on April 17 at Sporting's Alvalade stadium.
The Portugal clash is Brazil's last friendly before the World Cup and Romario needed to make the squad to stand any chance of going to the tournament.
The 36-year-old made a tearful plea to be included last week but Scolari has now made his intentions clear.
"I appreciate Romario's willingness but every other player wants to go to Japan and South Korea too," the coach said. "I will make no further comment on the presence or otherwise of any player on this list."
Other notable absentees - now certain to miss out on the 23-man World Cup party bariing injuries to other players - are Flamengo defender Juan and Corinthians midfielder Vampeta.
Romario has been overlooked by Big Phil since last June's Copa America, when the Vasco da Gama star used an eye-operation he never had as an excuse to miss the tournament.
Scolari insisted on various occasions that he has no quarrel with Brazilian football's ageing golden boy and even opened the door to a return after the failure of Edilson, Luizao, Marcelinho and Ronaldinho in World Cup qualifiers.
But Scolari wanted younger, less opinionated and disruptive players with him in Asia.
The 1994 World Cup winner, top scorer in last season's Campeonato Brasileiro, was recently voted the world's most effective striker by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.
He has a better goal-average than even Sporting forward Mario Jardel - another controversial absentee from Scolari's squad - and Celtic star Henrik Larsson.
Brazil squad
Goalkeepers: Marcos (Palmeiras), Rogerio Ceni (Sao Paulo)
Defenders: Paulo Cesar (Fluminense), Anderson Polga (Gremio), Cafu (Roma), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid), Junior (Parma), Lucio (Bayer Leverkusen), Roque Junior (AC Milan), Edmilson (Lyon)
Midfielders: Gilberto Silva (Atletico Mineiro), Kleberson (Atletico Paranaense), Juninho (Flamengo), Emerson (Roma), Djalminha (Deportivo La Coruna), Denilson (Real Betis), Ronaldinho (Paris-SG), Rivaldo (Barcelona)
Forwards: Edilson (Cruzeiro), Euller (Vasco da Gama), Luizao (Gremio), Ronaldo (Internazionale)
:glasses:
