Brazil president lays into squad after World Cup elimination: 'What a disgrace'

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FT Desk

Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had some harsh words for the Selecao players after their early elimination from the 2026 World Cup.

The South American side headed into the tournament as one of the top five favourites to lift the trophy due to their history in the competition, the talent in the squad and, of course, having the most successful head coach in the history of the Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti, at the helm.

Brazil had a positive enough group stage, starting with a 1-1 draw against Morocco before going on to defeat Haiti and Scotland 3-0.

In the Round of 32, they suffered a scare as they went 1-0 down to Japan after Kaishu Sano scored in the 29th minute. They rallied, however, and eventually won 2-1 thanks to goals from Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli, with the winning strike coming deep into injury time.

It was a team that wasn't firing on all cylinders and that was evident against Norway, who ultimately eliminated the Brazilians from the competition in the Last 16.

A tense game was reaching the last 10 minutes when Norway's superstar striker Erling Haaland scored a header, before doubling his tally with a superb strike lashed into the bottom corner to make it 2-0. Neymar, a second-half substitute, scored a consolation penalty but it came too late as the referee blew the final whistle seconds after the restart.

The Brazil players and Ancelotti face fierce criticism following the exit, with many pundits questioning why an unfit Neymar was sent on to try and save the game.

Many questioned why Neymar was even selected in the squad.

For Lula, though, the most egregious offence from the squad was not travelling back to Brazil together on the chartered plane home, with the vast majority of the playing staff opting to either stay in the United States or head on holiday.

Danilo was the sole player who returned to Brazil.

“I sent a message to Ancelotti, the coach of the Brazilian national team," the Brazilian president said.

"He travelled with a plane full of people and came back practically alone. There was almost nobody on the team’s plane coming home. What a disgrace.

“Only one player returned on the plane. Everyone else stayed there. If we had won the World Cup, everyone would be dancing here.”

Before the World Cup took place, Ancelotti signed a new deal until 2030 and he insists he won't resign despite the failure. Indeed, he believes the elimination marks the beginning of a new cycle for the Brazil national team.

“This defeat marks the first step of this national team’s new cycle,” he said.

“For me, it’s a disappointing result and a great sense of sadness, but it also leaves a truly valuable experience: an excellent working group. In fact, I want to thank the lads for the atmosphere they created.

“Things don’t always go our way; not everything is always perfect. Today we didn’t deserve to lose, but the opponent must also be considered in the equation – a rival with excellent players who made the difference.”

The World Cup semi-final matches take place this week, with England facing Argentina on Wednesday for the chance to take on Spain, who defeated France on Tuesday.