Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari says his team have one hand on the World Cup as he rounded angrily on his critics ahead of Friday’s quarter-final against Colombia in Fortaleza.
Scolari insisted during a tense news conference that the 2002 World Cup winners are on course to reclaim the trophy on home soil.
“Does Brazil continue to have one hand on the trophy? Yes,” he said.
“We are going on to the fifth step and there are seven steps.”
Scolari has been criticised by former players, including 1970 World Cup winning captain Carlos Alberto, for his use of sports psychologist Regina Brandao.
Brandao, who has worked regularly with Scolari, visited the Brazil camp after several of the players broke down in tears during the national anthem, and also after the penalty shoot-out win against Chile in the last 16.
He said: “It was scheduled and organised. She will come again on Sunday and Monday. She has participated in a very nice way and I will tell you I don’t think she makes us win.
“She isn’t paid anything to do this. I admire psychologists. You can try to seek more information.”
The 65-year-old, who led Brazil to 2002 World Cup success in Japan and South Korea, also took issue with members of the media who were excluded from a briefing with him earlier this week, telling them: “If you don’t like it, go to hell.”
And Scolari repeated the optimistic messages he delivered about Brazil’s hopes before the World Cup, saying: “Don’t forget those statements. They were all fantastic – those statements could not be any different.
“Our population, our supporters, don’t expect any different.
“They want us to tell them what we want, how we want to win and how we are going to get it. We continue with the same speech.”
