Brazil coach Tite denies contact with Real Madrid
Tite insists he is fully focused on leading Brazil at the World Cup and rejected reports he has been approached by Real Madrid.
Brazil head coach Tite has strongly denied contact with Real Madrid over taking the reins at the Santiago Bernabéu following Zinedine Zidane's shock departure. Tite's contract with the Seleção runs out at the end of the World Cup and he has pledged to wait until the end of the tournament before deciding on his future.
Brazilian newspaper O Globo reported the 57-year-old is on Madrid's wishlist, with his relationship with Neymar claimed to be a factor. But Tite shut down those rumours, insisting he is respectful of his current team as he focuses on Brazil's final preparations for Russia 2018.
Tite slams newspaper lies
"When it is an opinion, it deserves my respect. When it is put in quotation marks, it is a lie; it is a disrespectful and lying attitude. That's my word," he told a pre-match news conference ahead of Sunday's friendly against Austria. "I did not get in touch with anyone. Gilmar Veloz [Tite's agent], my friend, did not speak to anyone. I have a great respect for where I am. I know the responsibilities and the goals I have here."
Tite named Neymar in his XI to face Austria, it will be the Paris Saint-Germain's superstar's first start since suffering a broken metatarsal at the end of February.