Soccer: Big Phil from Brazil set to shake up Chelsea

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Soccer: Big Phil from Brazil set to shake up Chelsea Page 1 of 2 View as a single page 5:00AM Saturday June 14, 2008
By Andy McSmith
Big Phil from Brazil is heading England's way. Luiz Felipe Scolarihas finally been persuaded to overcome his dislike of the Britishmedia, and the inconvenience to his family, and assume the post ofmanaging Chelsea Football Club.
His nickname "Big" is as much a tribute to Scolari's character ashis physique _ both of which will be useful for bossing Chelsea'sextravagantly rewarded footballers _ who probably thought they hadseen the full repertoire of touchline tricks under their formermanager "the Special One" Jose Mourinho.
Even by the game's often eccentric standards, Scolari stands out:forthright, sentimental, hot-tempered and fiercely loyal to hisplayers (unless gay). He cuts a swearing and spitting wildman onthe touchline, and has been in hot water for his admiration ofChile's murderous dictator Augusto Pinochet. He leads prayercircles, carries iconic statuettes and once required his players toplace "holy pebbles" in their socks. Boring, this will not be.
It is not the first time there has been talk of Scolari moving tothe UK. Assorted Englishmen have made attempts to lure him _understandably, since he coached the sides that knocked thenational team out of two World Cups: Brazil, in 2002, and Portugalfour years later. Portugal also knocked England out of the 2004European Championships.
But after much teasing and tempting the Football Association, heannounced that he was turning down the opportunity to manageEngland.
Manchester City sounded him out as a possible successor toEriksson, but could not persuade him to leave the Iberianpeninsula: it would be disruptive for his two sons, who arestudents.
It may also be that he did not fancy facing the British media. Hedoes not much like UK journalists, and no doubt will be annoyed (ifunsurprised) by the coverage his impending arrival has received.Yesterday's Evening Standard set the tone by announcing that thereal boss in the Scolari household is Olga, 58, his wife of 33years, who is everything a WAG is not meant to be: a biologygraduate, trained teacher and, as an accomplished painter, anesteemed member of the San Diego Museum of Arts. Rumour has it thatit was she who ordered him to take the Brazilian midfielder Kaka tothe 2002 World Cup.
Chelsea's Bentley-driving players will be excited by the arrival ofa big name, following the comparatively anonymous Avram Grant. Thenew gaffer is unlikely to smile at any camp high jinks: hereportedly declared _ jokingly? _ in 2002 that: "If I found outthat one of my players was gay I would throw him off the team."Condemned by Brazilian gay groups, Phil insisted he was nothomophobic: "My friends include people whose sexual preference isdifferent from my own." A simple misunderstanding then.