SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) _ Some Brazilian players returned to the
hotel drunk after being given time off between matches during the
2006 World Cup, according to the president of the Brazil's soccer
confederation.
A year after Brazil's quarter-final elimination in Germany,
Ricardo Teixeira said a group of players lacked discipline during
the World Cup, but did not mention anyone specifically, the Estado
de S. Paulo newspaper reported Wednesday.
``There were players who arrived between 4 and 6 in the morning,
drunk,'' Teixeira said.
Teixeira also criticized Ronaldo for being out of shape during
the competition.
``How can an athlete arrive for a World Cup weighing 98 kilograms
(216 pounds)?'' he said, adding that it would be acceptable to him
if coach Dunga stopped including the 30-year-old forward for the
national team.
``How old is Ronaldo today? How old is he going to be in the 2010
World Cup? That's all I have to say. We need to find another
Ronaldo.''
Teixeira also criticized the period Brazil spent practising in
Switzerland before the World Cup, and insinuated that he hired Dunga
to replace Carlos Alberto Parreira because Brazil needs
``discipline, and that's Dunga's role.''
