On the afternoon of last Friday (16), the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) announced that Rodrigo Caetano will be the new director of national teams for the organization.
The CBF will once again have a person between the president and the head coach of the Brazilian national team and is expected to promote a profound overhaul in all sectors.
According to journalists Cahê Mota and Raphael Zarko from the GE website, Rodrigo Caetano will have the “key” to the CBF National Teams Department.
He will be positioned between President Ednaldo Rodrigues and the head coach of the Brazilian national team, Dorival Júnior. Caetano will combine the roles that were previously held by Juninho Paulista and Branco, although he may hire a manager for the youth categories.
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Ednaldo does not want a “double act”
Ednaldo Rodrigues’ idea is to establish a hierarchy between national teams director Rodrigo Caetano and coach Dorival Júnior, without having a “double act” as previously occurred.
For some time, the executive worked in partnership with the coach, as had been happening over the past years. The position had been vacant since the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Which executives held the position previously?
During José Maria Marin’s tenure between 2012 and 2015, three individuals served as the link between the presidency and the coaching staff: Andrés Sanchez in 2012, Carlos Alberto Parreira between 2013 and 2014, and Gilmar Rinaldi between 2015 and 2016.
Subsequently, under Marco Polo del Nero, former player Edu Gaspar held the position at the CBF between 2016 and 2019. Juninho Paulista served in the role between 2019 and 2022, and the position had been vacant since his departure in January 2023.
What will be the first friendly matches of the Brazilian National Team under Dorival’s command?
During the March FIFA window, the Brazilian national team will face England on March 23 and Spain on March 26. Coach Dorival Júnior will make his first squad selection on March 1.
Dorival worked with Rodrigo Caetano at various clubs during his career
At Vasco in 2009, Dorival Júnior won the Serie B of the Brazilian Championship with Rodrigo Caetano as the football executive director. They would meet again in 2013 at Fluminense for a shorter period. Recently, Caetano was at Atlético Mineiro, where he was involved in assembling the squad that won six titles: three Mineiro Championships, one Brazilian Championship, one Copa do Brasil, and one Supercopa do Brasil.
