After six years as Brazil’s coach, Tite has announced his resignation. The 61-year-old had always stated that he would step down after overseeing a full World Cup cycle, and as a result, his reign came to an end with Croatia’s 4-2 victory on penalties in the World Cup quarterfinals.
The cycle is over, and I stand by my promise, he declared. Tite ended a grim and largely emotionless press conference with a defence of his team’s record, not just against Croatia but in the tournament as a whole, saying, “There are other excellent professionals that can replace me.” He referred to Croatia’s Dominik Livakovic as saying, “The game is talking to you when their keeper is the best player on the pitch.” “We needed to set targets more effectively. Was Brazil, though, at their best? In general, yes.
“I am aware that I bear the most of the blame, but the loss is our fault as a team. Being a hero or a villain is not important. Sports don’t have anything like that. Sometimes we put on a tremendous show, shoot for the goal, and the ball goes astray. That is typical. However, I can respect the outcome.
Brazil’s immediate response was less restrained. The sour disappointment of losing after leading 1-0 in the 117th minute quickly gave way to criticism of Tite’s tactics and his choice to leave the pitch immediately after the final whistle rather than console his team. He was referred to as a “donkey” by one Brazilian television commentator for giving Neymar the fifth penalty, which he never committed.
Tite argued that the fifth penalty was the deciding one. Tite’s legacy is in question, but players who are mentally prepared are better able to handle the strain. He changed the way Brazil played, elevated them to the top of the international rankings, and helped them win the Copa America in 2019, only to see them lose it on their own turf in 2021. And now he has lost twice in the quarterfinals in the biggest tournament of them all. He was asked how his tenure should be assessed, to which he replied, “Time will answer that.”
Croatia’s incredible comeback to get to their second consecutive World Cup semi-final earned praise from coach Zlatko Dalic, who called it one of his nation’s “best victory.” We are a little nation, he declared. “Our athletes are excellent fighters. Our integrity, diligence, and professionalism speak for themselves. People are astonished by our capacity to pull off such a remarkable feat. But we anticipated it.