Brazil reportedly keen to hire Dorival Junior after firing interim manager Fernando Diniz

Fernando Diniz, interim manager of the Brazilian men's national football team, has been relieved of his duties, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) announced on Friday.

"The CBF thanks Fernando Diniz for his work, his dedication, his seriousness and for the challenge of revamping Brazil," CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues said in a statement.

This was the first major decision taken by Rodrigues after returning to his post on Thursday, with Copa America just five months away. On December 7, 2023, he and all his executives were removed from their jobs following a Rio de Janeiro court ruling on irregularities in the 2022 election process.

On Thursday, Brazil's Supreme Court decided to put Rodrigues and others back to their roles, four days before FIFA and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) executives visit to discuss allegedly undue third-party interference at the top of the CBF. It can lead to the suspension of Brazil from international football competitions.

Diniz took charge of the five-time FIFA world champions in July 2023 on an interim basis and a one-year contract. His predecessor, Tite, resigned after Brazil were eliminated in the World Cup quarterfinals in Qatar in 2022.

The CBF reportedly wanted Carlo Ancelotti to manage Brazil, but the Italian coach signed a contract extension with Real Madrid until 2026 last week. Meanwhile, the national team performed poorly under Diniz, losing three of their first six 2026 World South American qualifiers. They are currently in sixth place, and the region has only six automatic World Cup slots.

According to ESPN, the CBF is interested in hiring Dorival Junior, manager of Sao Paolo, as the new boss of the national team. Instead of letting him go for free, Sao Paulo have asked the CBF to pay 4.5 million Brazilian real (approximately $922,600) to terminate Junior's contract.