FIFA World Cup 2022: 'I go in peace', says Brazil coach Tite

Brazil coach Tite

Brazil coach Tite, 61, announced that he was quitting after his World No.1 team suffered a shock defeat to Croatia via penalties in the quarter-finals at the Education City Stadium here on Friday night.

"The cycle has ended. I go in peace," said Tite at the post-match press conference immediately after the defeat.

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Tite had taken over the coaching reins from former Brazil World Cup-winning captain Dunga in 2016 and was in-charge for 91 matches of which he won 60. Elaborating on what he meant by a cycle, Tite said: "In the last World Cup [where Brazil lost in the quarter-finals], I considered it to be a process of recovery for the team, but not now because now we've had a whole cycle. There are other great professionals [to take over]. I had said this over one-and-a-half years ago and I'm not a two-word guy. I was never playing to win and make some drama by saying ‘Hey, I'm going to stay now.' People, who know me well, know that I'm not like that."

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The veteran coach simply walked back into the dressing room after the defeat instead of meeting up with his dejected players on the pitch or by the sidelines. On hindsight, he said that maybe he should have approached his players. "I don't do that [meet players on the pitch] when we win, so I don't do that when we lose. I don't like being in the spotlight. That's my style. But maybe I could have done it this time. But they definitely know how much I trust them and the work they've done, their commitment, and how proud I am of all the work we've done," he concluded.