Rio de Janeiro, April 5: The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) will appoint a new men's national team manager before the June double header of FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the entity's president Ednaldo Rodrigues said on Friday.
Brazil has been without a manager since March 28, when Dorival Junior was sacked following a 4-1 World Cup qualifying defeat to Argentina in Buenos Aires.
Rodrigues met with sporting director Rodrigo Caetano and technical coordinator Juan Santos to discuss options for the vacant position at the CBF's headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.
"The meeting focused on choosing the new national team head coach," Rodrigues told reporters. "We will make an announcement ahead of the call-up for the two qualifying matches in June."
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is understood to be the CBF's preferred choice, but the Italian remains an unlikely appointment given his contract with the Spanish champion runs until June 2026.
Other candidates include Jorge Jesus, Abel Ferreira and Jose Mourinho, according to media reports.
Brazil is currently fourth in the 10-team South American qualifying group, 10 points behind leader Argentina with four match days remaining.
The top six teams will earn an automatic place at football's showpiece tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada next year. The seventh-ranked side will advance to an intercontinental playoff.
Brazil's next qualifiers are against Ecuador away on June 4 and Paraguay at home five days later.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
