World Cup Coaching Carousel Goes Round and Round
July 7, 2006
Coaching jobs come and coaching jobs go, but it doesn't happen any faster than at the World Cup.
It hardly matters whether a coach is successful at soccer's global showpiece. While players can experience several stints-- Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro is in his third -- it's a rare coach that appears twice with the same team.
The United States' Bruce Arena pulled off the feat in 2002 and 2006, but his future is anything but secure as many call for him to let someone else -- possibly Jürgen Klinsmann -- have a try at turning the US into a more established team.
Even reaching the World Cup final doesn't provide a guarantee for coach or team. Italy may land their fourth world title and coach Marcello Lippi has yet to declare whether he will stay or opt to enjoy his favorite past-time of deep sea fishing.
Some clear cases exist
Mexico coach Ricardo La Volpe made it easy for his bosses. Eliminated in the round of 16 by Argentina, the 54-year-old said he'd trade in the national team reins for a club coaching job in Europe. But something about the 1-2 loss in extra time gave him a change of heart and it remains unclear exactly what the chain-smoker will do.
Just before the La Volpe drama came to a head, Alexandres Guimaraes declared his job open for the taking, despite a contract that extends to 2010. Worried over the safety of his family, the Brazilian born coach decided to put an end to his career with Costa Rica.
It's unlikely any tears will be shed when the unloved Swede at the top of the English team, Sven Goran Eriksson, hands over the clipboard, as planned before England's World Cup campaign even started. Eriksson is one of the many coaches who has been tossed into the pot of possibilities to take over at Real Madrid.
Poland's enigmatic coach, Pawel Janas anticipated that there might be a letter waiting for him in the mail after his team crashed out in the group stage and pre-empted the Polish soccer federation by retiring.
Retiring from retirement?
Serbia and Montenegro had trainer Ilija Petkovic to thank for their smooth World Cup qualification, but that didn't prove good enough for his own standards. He chose to retire after a first-round elimination in the "Group of Death."
Brazil's Carlos Alberto Parreira will be lucky to survive the ax after the title favorites return home from a disastrous campaign.
South America's other powerhouse, Argentina's Jose Pekerman had, actually, said he was finished with soccer but an outcry from the country's federation and fans convinced him to retire from retirement before retiring again after a quarter-final loss to Germany.
Diego Maradona, whose hopping around the press box couldn't be missed at the 2006 tournament, has once again selflessly offered his skills to his country -- but it's unlikely anyone will see him in a coaching box at South Africa 2010.
Other coaches who have thrown in the towel or been forced to return their national team whistles are Henri Michel of the Ivory Coast, who is headed to club position in Quatar; miracle-worker Guus Hiddink is trading in sunny Australia for blustery Russia; he'll be able to call up fellow Dutchman Dick Advocaat for a chat as the former South Korea coach takes on a club team Zenit St. Petersburg. Zico has also had enough of national teams and is leaving Japan for a club position in Turkey.
Some coaches get second chance, all keep bags packed
All the negotiations are far from finished, however, it seems a few coaches are staying with their current World Cup teams: Marco van Basten (Holland), Luis Oliveria Goncalves (Angola), Karel Brückner (Czech Republic), Jakob "Köbi" Kuhn (Switzerland), Luis Aragones (Spain), Oleg Blochin (Ukraine), Roger Lemerre (Tunisia) und Marcos Paqueta (Saudi Arabia).
Talks are likely to take longer for Portugal's Luiz Felipe Scolari and France's Raymond Domenech. Scolari, who brought the title back to his home nation of Brazil in 2002, wants more than Portugal may be willing to offer, while Domenech, a controversial coach among the French, is likely to ask for more after reaching the finals and silencing his critics.
All of these men know they could end up anywhere in four years' time as their job can be best summarized by Iran's now ex-trainer Branko Ivankovic:
"A coach must always have his suitcases packed."