Brazil’s head coach, Tite, has confirmed that he has stepped down as the team’s head coach. His decision came after Brazil couldn’t go past Croatia for a Semifinal spot. Croatia last night via penalty shoot-out knocked out Brazil, who was regarded as the favorite to win the World. Tite’s six years with the Selecao comes to an end today following his announcement.
Tite since taking charge of Brazil in 2016 has guided the Selecao to winning the Copa America in 2019, which was their first in 12 years.
Tite has been knocked out of the World Cup in the quarter-final stages both in 2018 and 2022.
“The cycle has ended, and I keep to my word,” the 61-year-old said after Friday’s match. “There are other great professionals that can replace me. When their (Croatia’s) goalkeeper (Dominik Livaković) is the best player on the field, the game is talking to you. We had to be more effective in making goals. But did Brazil show their best? Overall, yes. I understand that I am the most responsible, but we are all responsible for the loss. It’s not about being a hero or a villain. There is no such thing in sports.
“Sometimes we have a great performance, we shoot at goal, and the ball deviates. That’s normal. But I can respect the result. The loss hurts, but I’m at peace with myself right now.”
Tite’s current contract, signed in July 2018, kept him with Brazil until the end of the 2022 World Cup. In February, he revealed that he intended to step down as manager of Brazil after the 2022 tournament.
