Ancelotti's frenetic 48 hours: from "I do" to Brazil to "I don't want to"

In football, those who move in the shadows to make transfers happen only breathe easy when their client signs on the dotted line. No matter how well everything is done and how many 'I do's', it is all meaningless if there is no signature on the contract.

The case of Carlo Ancelotti with Brazil proves this. Throughout yesterday, versions of the contract that was going to bind Carletto to the Selecao were exchanged, but the coach did not sign in London as demanded by the CBF and returned empty-handed to Madrid in the afternoon. Finally, the coach backed out when everything was already written on paper, only his signature was missing, as MARCA.com had reported last Monday at 21:20 Spanish time.

Meetings in the capital after Madrid-Arsenal

MARCA reveals the presence of Diego Fernandes, the CBF emissary, at the Real Madrid-Arsenal Champions League match alongside Spanish agent Alvaro Costa. This businessman will be in charge of overcoming the last obstacles to make the dream of seeing Carletto on the bench of the Canarinha a reality: to find a way to convince him to give up the Club World Cup and join in June. In fact, he would present himself on May 26 (LaLiga ends on May 25) to present himself and give his first list for the two matches against Ecuador and Paraguay. The day after the defeat against Arsenal, Carletto finished agreeing all this at a lunch with the CBF emissary to take charge of Brazil until after the 2026 World Cup.

New contacts after Copa del Rey defeat

MARCA also reveals the presence in the stands at La Cartuja of Diego Fernandes. The coach meets with the businessman and it is agreed that everything will be finalised on a trip to London on Monday where the president of the CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues, is not present. During Monday's dinner, the coach already puts obstacles in their way. Negotiations continue on Tuesday and versions of the contract are even exchanged with Madrid to make adjustments. Carlo does not sign and returns to Madrid in the afternoon accompanied by the Brazilian FA's emissary, arriving in a hurry for the afternoon training session at Valdebebas. The CBF still hopes that Carlo will sign in Madrid, but he does not. It is already very late, around half past ten at night, when everything falls apart. Carletto says he is not going to sign. "It's falling apart, it's all falling apart. He said in the meeting that Madrid won't let him sign, to the surprise of the intermediaries," is the message that reaches MARCA's newsroom

The reasons why Carlo does not stamp his signature

There are several versions of the story, depending on what Ancelotti explains. CBF sources told Brazilian media that Carlo wanted to collect part of his money from the year he has left at Madrid. However, sources close to Carlo deny this and, in fact, claim that Madrid had not put any impediment and that he has not asked for compensation from the club. What does seem clear is that the problem lies in the fact of signing a contract with Brazil without being released from Madrid. And, in this case, it is something that would pose risks to the coach with the Spanish club

Real Madrid had given Ancelotti the green light to negotiate, but was not in favor of him signing yet, as it understood that it would end up being leaked by the CBF and an agreement would be announced while the coach was playing in La Liga with Los Blancos. Barring a major surprise, this deal has fallen through, although there are still details to be gathered even by people who are inside the negotiations and who still do not really know the reason for Ancelotti's refusal. It may also have annoyed Real Madrid that Ancelotti returned to Madrid on Monday afternoon accompanied by the CBF emissary and that his presence has been revealed by some media over the last few weeks.

An offer from Saudi Arabia in the pipeline

Another reason for the possible refusal is a possible offer from Saudi Arabia. Sources close to the negotiations claim that this option was put on the negotiating table in London. However, there are advisors to the coach who have not yet heard of this offer, so if it exists, it is still very much in its infancy. It remains to be seen what steps Ancelotti and Real Madrid will take. If Brazil falls through, the coach could lead the team in the Club World Cup, when at Real Madrid, as MARCA revealed at the time, the possibility of a bridge coach had already been studied, with Santiago Solari being the most likely candidate, to lead the team before the arrival of the new coach. Xabi Alonso is almost certain to be appointed as Ancelotti's successor. It remains to be seen how Carlo's departure will be resolved. It was going to be an honorable exit, but we have to wait to see what impact this whole mess with Brazil will have.Nor do some doubts that Carlo had at the time about his move to Brazil, such as his stay or security, seem to be reasons for the 'no' either. In this sense, both he and his family were already in agreement on the conditions of this trip so that Carletto would go from managing the most successful club in the world to the most successful national team in the world.