Former coach criticises foreigners and is rebuked by the FBTF
On Tuesday morning (4), the Brazilian Federation of Football Coaches (FBTF) held its 2nd Football Coaches Forum, an event hosted at the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and intended to bring together coaches, former coaches and managers with the aim of discussing sector-related topics. The main tribute went to coach Carlo Ancelotti, hired to lead the Brazilian National Team, who received a recognition plaque during the event.
However, what should have been a morning of dialogue and celebration ended up generating embarrassment. The interventions of two well-known former coaches, Emerson Leão and Oswaldo de Oliveira, raised questions, criticism and an official repudiation, with the focus mainly on Oswaldo de Oliveira.
What was said and what triggered the reaction
During his speech, Emerson Leão strongly criticised the presence of foreign coaches in charge of the National Team and Brazilian clubs, stating that he had always been against this practice and admitting part of the blame for the situation: “I always said that I do not like foreign coaches in my country… But I have to be intelligent enough to say that all of this has a culprit. Us. We, coaches, are to blame for the invasion…”.
Immediately afterwards, Oswaldo de Oliveira added to the speech, but went further, in a tone that clearly expressed criticism. He said something like: “I did not want a foreign coach, but there was no way. If it had to be, let it be this gentleman [Ancelotti]. I hoped it would be this gentleman. After he leaves, world champion, may a Brazilian come.”
This excerpt, delivered with Ancelotti present on the stage, was seen as “inappropriate”, “unnecessary” and “disrespectful” by members of the FBTF and the CBF, mainly because the event aimed to integrate and value the coaching category, and not generate public clashes.
The FBTF director, Alfredo Sampaio, was even more direct: “He created a major institutional problem for us… here we had Brazilian coaches trying to approach the most important sporting institution in the country… and it is ‘one more chance to make’ this change, and today, I confess that I do not know if we will be able to achieve everything we planned due to one person who did not have the balance to understand where he was.”
The repercussion was immediate. The FBTF published an official note of repudiation, classifying Oswaldo’s statements as unacceptable, and apologised to the CBF, to President Samir Xaud, and to Carlo Ancelotti.
The longstanding question: foreign or Brazilian coaches?
Brazil has already gone through several periods in which it was debated whether it was better to hire a foreign coach or invest in a national professional. There are arguments on both sides. On one hand, foreign coaches bring different models and experiences; on the other, there are those who defend the appreciation of national professionals, pointing out that “the flaw” lies in structure, preparation, and recognition. Leão, for example, said: “We, coaches, are to blame for the invasion of others.”
In general, it is necessary to understand that the presence of foreign coaches should not be seen as an automatic threat, although it appears as a reflection of globalised markets. What bothers part of the national category is not feeling properly recognised or valued. And in Oswaldo’s speech, this discomfort appeared in an inappropriate way, according to the repercussion, pointing out failures of the CBF, of institutional conduct, of valuing Brazilians, and at the same time conditioning the foreigner to the “if it had to be”, all in the presence of Ancelotti himself – recognition and criticism at the same time.
The 2nd Coaches Forum was designed to generate connection, dialogue and strengthening of the category. With the presence of Ancelotti, Brazilian coaches and former coaches, it was an opportunity to discuss the appreciation of the profession in the country. But the incident, as indicated by Alfredo Sampaio, ended up overshadowing part of the proposal, generating embarrassment at the CBF and among coaches. The confederation, according to reports, considered the statements “impolite and unnecessary.”
This article was first published in Portuguese on 5 November 2025.
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