Veteran Coach Parreira Announces Retirement from Football

07/16/2014 - 09h17

The technical coordinator of the Brazilian national football team, Carlos Alberto Parreira, has announced his retirement from football.

The former world champion says he wants to devote more time to his family and his business interests. He is a partner at an import-export firm.

"Retirement is a strong word. I'm not going to stop yet. Life goes on, and I have plans for the future. But you can say that I have retired from football," he said.

Parreira was hired at the end of 2012 to help Luiz Felipe Scolari with the preparations for this year's World Cup.

As a coach, he holds the record for participation in World Cups. He was involved in six, and he also worked as a physical trainer for Brazil at World Cup 1970.

He managed Kuwait at the World Cup of 1982, the United Arab Emirates in 1990, Saudi Arabia in 1998, South Africa in 2010 and Brazil, once in 1994, when they lifted the trophy, and again in 2006, when they reached the quarter-final stage.

He is still at a loss to explain the 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany last week. "There's no explanation," he said. "It was a nightmare. It will never happen again."

Parreira made no attempt to hide the fact that his exit from the Brazilian coaching staff was not an amicable one, revealing that nobody at the head of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) called him to tell him he was out of a job.

On Monday, the CBF published an official statement on its website which said it had accepted the resignation of Scolari and of all the coaching staff.

Even the team's doctor and press secretary were dismissed.

Translated by TOM GATEHOUSE

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	Flavio Florido/UOL/Folhapress
	The technical coordinator of the Brazilian national football team, Carlos Alberto Parreira, has announced his retirement from football