'Why doesn't he solve Italy's problems?' Brazil president questions decision to appoint Carlo Ancelotti

• Brazil president expressed doubt about Ancelotti's appointment
• Favours Fernando Diniz for the role
• Believes Brazil's struggles are due to a lack of quality players

WHAT HAPPENED? Incumbent Head of State of Brazil, Lula de Silva, has questioned Ancelotti's credentials and suggested he should focus on solving Italy's problems instead, as the Azzurri didn't even qualify for the 2022 World Cup. In contrast, President Lula expressed admiration for interim manager Fernando Diniz and praised his creativity and personality.

WHAT THEY SAID: “He was never Italy’s coach. Why doesn’t he solve Italy’s problems, they didn’t even play in the last World Cup?” he questioned during an interview on the SBT channel.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The president believes that Brazil's recent difficulties in major tournaments are primarily due to a lack of high-quality players rather than coaching deficiencies.

"The problem is not Diniz; the problem is that we don't have the quality of players that we had in other times," he stated.

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WHAT NEXT? The Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) has already announced that Ancelotti will assume the role of Brazil's national team manager in mid-2024. CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues revealed that while Diniz will take charge of the Selecao on an interim basis for a year, the Italian will then take over once his current contract at Real Madrid expires in the summer of 2024.