By DPA,
Rio de Janeiro : Former Brazil footballer Zico, who coached Turkish side Fenerbahce last season, denied Friday that he had been offered the position of Portugal national coach as replacement for compatriot Luiz Felipe Scolari.
“Any coach would like to command a top national team, and I am no different. But nobody made official contact with me,” Zico told Brazilian sports channel SporTV.
“Portugal is one of the best teams in Europe and has players in big clubs, besides having the man who is currently the best player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo,” Zico said.
Zico has been unemployed since he declined to extend his contract with Fenerbahce. He took the Turkish side to the quarter-finals of the latest edition of the Champions League.
In the interview, the Brazilian denied reports that he left Fenerbahce after the club refused to grant him a raise.
“I want to make it clear that the problem was not financial,” he stressed.
Instead, Zico blamed interference in his work by Fenerbahce officials.
“I took some players there and officials were not satisfied. They made some comments that were unacceptable for me. I do not like to have interference in my area of work. If they want to do that, let them look for someone else,” he said.