Dorival Axed After Rout By Argentina

He lasts just 15 months; Jesus, Ferreira linked to Brazil post but Ancelotti still not keen

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RIO DE JANEIRO - Dorival Junior was on March 28 sacked as Brazil coach, three days after a humiliating 4-1 World Cup qualifying defeat by bitter rivals Argentina, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) announced.

"Dorival Junior is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team. The management thanks him and wishes him success for the rest of his career," the CBF said in a statement.

Dorival, 62, had been in charge since only January 2024, succeeding interim coach Fernando Diniz. He has overseen a lacklustre qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup Finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Five-time World Cup winners Brazil are fourth in the South American qualifying table, 10 points behind world champions Argentina, who have already made sure of their place in the Finals. The Selecao also sit behind Ecuador and Uruguay, with six automatic qualifying spots for teams from South America.

Brazil will visit Ecuador and host Paraguay on June 4 and 9, respectively, in the next set of qualifiers.

The writing was on the wall for Dorival after the drubbing in Buenos Aires on March 25.

"Nobody expected what we saw today, and the responsibility is entirely mine," the coach acknowledged after the game.