Luiz Felipe Scolari - Personality

Personality

Scolari is famous for his temper and for his histrionic "performance" beside the field while the match is going on, reacting strongly to both the best and the worst moments of his team. A good example of his fierce temper was a 12 September 2007 qualifying match for Euro 2008 against Serbia when, at the end of the game, and after the referee had blown the whistle for a 1-1 draw, Scolari threw a left hook at Serbian player Ivica Dragutinović's face that ended up grazing his cheek.

Scolari's character, however, is often seen as a good point, instead of a drawback, because he tries to keep the players (and himself) free of external pressures: he usually demands a lot more freedom than most coaches are allowed and is bent on exerting a somewhat discretionary power. Some critics mostly agree that his unique character was very beneficial to the Portuguese national team, which had a tradition of talented players but never won anything because of excessive intervention from the federation, the clubs, and the player's agents, as well as a lack of a true "team spirit."

In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he gave each of his players a copy of Sun Tzu's The Art of War, a Chinese military treatise written during the 6th century BC. He also gave the team recordings of Ivete Sangalo Festa videoclip to enforce the Brazilian spirit and motivate the team engagement.

During his career the media has been fond of pointing out Scolari's facial resemblance to actor Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando's portrayal of Don Vito Corleone in the film The Godfather.

Scolari holds Italian citizenship, since his family emigrated from Veneto. He is said to be a fan of Grêmio and Palmeiras, both of which he has managed. He is also known to have a particular passion for English club Nottingham Forest, whose stylish football he followed as they twice conquered Europe under Brian Clough.