Scolari states intent

Brazil's FIFA World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari arrived in Lisbon to take charge of Portugal's national team today, saying his goal was to win the 2004 UEFA European Championship.

Raw material
Scolari said Portugal, host country for the UEFA EURO 2004™ finals, had the raw material to win their first major international title despite a first-round exit from the World Cup earlier this year. "We didn't come here just to do a good job," Scolari said. "We came here to reach the goal of the entire Portuguese people ... to reach the European Championship final in the role of winners."

'Honour and loyalty'
Scolari said he would look beyond such stars as Real Madrid CF midfield player Luis Figo and AC Milan playmaker Rui Costa in putting together his squad. He stressed that he was looking for team players, saying: "Any player who has the will, the discipline, who wears his jersey with honour, with loyalty, who is an athlete who makes up a part of the team, is welcome on the national squad."

One of the favourites
Scolari, 54, faces a major task rebuilding the confidence of a Portugal squad who were among the favourites going into the World Cup finals in May and June. Portugal fell at the first hurdle after defeats by the United States and Korean Republic in a match which saw two Portuguese players sent off.

Similar task
Coach António Oliveira was fired and caretaker Agostinho Oliveira has steered the squad until Scolari's hiring. Although the new man has less than two years to get Portugal out of the doldrums, he performed a similar task with Brazil in just 14 months.

Record win
Known as 'Big Phil', Scolari hauled Brazil from one of the lowest points in their football history to a record fifth World Cup title with a 2-0 win against Germany in the Yokohama final. Scolari was in charge of Kuwait when they won the Gulf Cup and formerly coached Brazilian clubs Grêmio PA and SE Palmeiras.

'My heart will be Portuguese'
Scolari will attend SL Benfica's match against CF Os Belenenses this evening, although he will only begin working with the national squad in January. His first game as coach is a friendly against Italy in Genoa on 12 February. Asked how he would feel when Portugal played Brazil in a friendly next year, Scolari said he would always root for his own country's team: "But in this [Italy] game, my heart will be Portuguese."