After a six-year hiatus, coach Felipao has returned to Grêmio. Luiz Felipe Scolari, 72, succeeds Tiago Nunes as coach of Tricolor for the fourth time. His most recent stint with the club dates back to the years 2014 and 2015.
Marcos Herrmann’s soccer vice-president announced the news in an interview following the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Palmeiras on Wednesday night.
Scolari’s contract, as previously reported by credible sources, is slated to expire in December 2022. The coach will be officially introduced on Friday, the eve of the Gre-Nal derby.
“I’d like to make an official announcement: Luiz Felipe Scolari has been named the new coach of Grêmio. He will be accompanied by his assistants, Paulo Turra and Carlos Pracidelli, as well as Thiago Gomes, our club’s assistant, who we have high hopes for. And the physical preparation of Reverson (Pimentel)”, according to Herrmann.
Luiz Felipe Scolari é o nosso novo técnico!
Tendo em seu currículo títulos da @CopadoBrasil, @LibertadoresBR, @ConmebolRecopa e @Brasileirao, Felipão assume a nossa casamata pela quarta vez.Seja bem-vindo à tua casa, Felipão! 👴🏻🧉🇪🇪 #FelipãoEmCasa
Leia:https://t.co/WFuPEwH7ep pic.twitter.com/XVlOW5UVbQ
— Grêmio FBPA (@Gremio) July 8, 2021
After leaving Grêmio in 2015, Felipo led Guangzhou Evergrande of China for three seasons. He then returned to Brazil to coach Palmeiras, where he won the Brazilian championship in 2018 before departing the next season.
Felipo left Raposa in January of this year after being hired in October of 2020 on a contract that would last through 2022. The coach saved the Minas Gerais team from relegation, but he was unable to gain entry into Serie C.
Felipo will be at Grêmio for the fourth time. His first stint was when he won the Rio Grande do Sul championship in 1987. After winning the Copa do Brasil with Cricima over Grêmio in 1993, he returned to Tricolor.
In his second term with the Grêmio team, the coach had a tough start, but the team’s president at the time, Fábio Koff, backed him up. As a result of his perseverance, Felipo won the 1994 Brazil Cup, the 1995 Libertadores, and the 1996 Brasileirão.
On the international scene, the veteran manager commands as much respect as well. Felipo was in charge of the 2002 World Cup-winning Seleçao squad. He was also the head for the 2013 Confederations Cup.
His career was just about to be wrecked when the Seleçao lost 7-1 to Germany in the World Cup quarterfinals in Brazil back in 2014. The coach said his goodbyes to the Brazilian team after a defeat to Netherlands, which saw Seleça finish fourth in the tournament at the time.
