ACTUALITE |
24.11.2001
Romario may participate in 2002 World Cup, Scolari declares
RIO DE JANEIRO
Brazilian national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari announced on Thursday that striker Romario de Souza has not been bypassed and may still be included to play in the 2002 World Cup.
Scolari told the sporting news O Globo in an article published Thursday: "Romario`s stint with the national team has not ended yet.
"Romario was left off the last three team rosters (for individual games) because he was not physically in condition to play. But neither he, nor some other players, have been left off definitively."
Romario plays with Vasco da Gama in the Brazilian league and is currently the scoring leader.
The press, who lambasted Scolari for not calling up Romario for the team, attributed the "oversight" to personality differences between Romario and Rivaldo.
Despite the fact that the striker was chosen the most valuable player in the 1994 World Cup, he was called up only once by Scolari during the regional qualifiers.
Many football fans believe that Romario is the offensive weapon that the Brazilian team is lacking.
A sign that many changes have occurred in the football world, Brazil had to wait until its very last game to even earn a berth to advance in World Cup play.
Scolari said that in addition to Romario, several other players are being reviewed for possible placement on the team to bolster the strength of the squad for the 2002 World Cup.
The tryouts, the coach said, will be assess based on their qualities of "technical, physical, team-play and also individual characteristics."
Scolari has said that the national team needs "players who are willing to play as a team," implicitly criticizing Romario, who retorted that he is not a "divisive factor for the team."
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