Romario calls for Carlo Ancelotti to be sacked after Brazil lose to Japan

Brazil great Romario has called for Carlo Ancelotti to be dismissed immediately after the national team’s 3-2 friendly defeat by Japan in Singapore.

Romario said Ancelotti had yet to demonstrate that he was capable of leading Brazil, despite the Italian’s outstanding record in club football.

Writing on his official Instagram account, the former striker acknowledged Ancelotti’s status as one of the greatest managers in football history, but argued that reputation had been established with clubs rather than at international level.

Romario also criticised the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, urging him to intervene and make what he described as a decisive choice. He called on the federation chief to show courage by ending Ancelotti’s contract, warning that allowing the current situation to continue could lead to further failures for Brazil.

The former Brazil forward said the national team shirt should not be used for experiments or poorly considered decisions, adding that supporters had already endured disappointing results.

He also warned that Brazil could not afford to miss another opportunity at the World Cup. Romario said Ancelotti should return to club management if he wanted to continue his career rather than remain in charge of the national side.

Ancelotti responds to dismissal

Ancelotti gave his account of the events surrounding his dismissal during the match against Japan. He said the referee showed him a red card because he was unable to control the substitutes’ bench.

The Italian added that all the players were on the pitch at the time and considered that incident to be the reason for the referee’s decision, while stopping short of placing full responsibility on the official.

Ancelotti expressed his disappointment at the result but said Brazil’s performance also contained positive elements. He highlighted the displays of several players making their first appearances for the national team.

The manager said Brazil had produced an acceptable performance for 70 minutes before the outcome was affected by an incident in which the referee did not blow his whistle. However, he accepted that this did not amount to a refereeing error.

Ancelotti described the fixture as a high-level international match but said the referee did not have enough experience to manage a game of that scale.

Brazil are due to play again on Tuesday, when they face Singapore in the first meeting between the two national teams. Ancelotti is expected to continue testing different options in that match.

The fixture comes with the defeat by Japan and Romario’s criticism placing additional focus on the Italian’s tactical decisions and his ability to build a side capable of competing in Brazil’s forthcoming commitments.