London, Dec 17 (ANI): Brazil want Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari to go back as their national coach and lead them to World Cup glory for a second time.
Chelsea manager Scolari is top of the Brazilian football confederation's shortlist of coaches to replace the under-fire Dunga, who is expected to be sacked in the next fortnight after a dismal World Cup qualifying campaign that has left the five-times winners in serious danger of missing out on a place at the World Cup finals in 2010.
Other leading candidates are former national coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo, Sao Paulo manager Muricy Ramalho, and ex-Peru coach Paulo Autuori, the Daily express reported.
Scolari has significant support within the CBF and is the overwhelming choice of the Brazilian public, with several big newspaper polls in the last few days making the 62-year-old 2002 World Cup winner a clear favourite.
Dunga's qualifying campaign has been, by Brazilian standards, a disaster, with his team beaten by Paraguay and held to draws at home by both 10-man Bolivia and Columbia, leaving them needing at least half of the remaining 24 points in their marathon campaign to earn a place in South Africa.
It was during the qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup in Japan that Scolari was first called up by his country, with Brazil again in serious danger of not qualifying.
The former Palmeiras coach had five matches to save his side from ignominy and did so. He took them on to win the tournament in his finest moment.
A source close to the Brazilian federation said: "Scolari is the overwhelming favourite of the Brazilian public to come back and take over. Dunga is regarded as a dead man walking. It is only a matter of time before he is pushed. He is very unpopular."
CBF president Ricardo Teixeira said: "This is not the time to be discussing the position of the national coach. We are coming up to Christmas." (ANI)
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