Cláudio Coutinho
Encyclopedia
Cláudio Pêcego de Moraes Coutinho (5 January 1939 – 27 November 1981) was a Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian football manager that coached Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...

 from 1977 to 1980 and Los Angeles Aztecs
Los Angeles Aztecs
The Los Angeles Aztecs were a soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League from 1974-81. The team was based in Los Angeles, California and part-owned by Elton John.-History:...

 in 1981. He died as a result of a scuba diving accident.

Military Career

Born in the small town of Dom Pedrito
Dom Pedrito
-See also:*List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul...

 in Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...

 on the border with Uruguay, Coutinho moved to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

 when he was four years old.

Living in Rio, Coutinho joined the Military School, and would ultimately reach the rank of Captain of Artillery. On the other hand, he also showed great interest to the sports area, graduating from the School of Physical Education of the Army.

In 1968 , he was chosen to represent their school in a World Congress, held in the United States . There he met American professor Kenneth Cooper \, founder of the Cooper test
Cooper test
The Cooper test is a test of physical fitness. It was designed by Kenneth H. Cooper in 1968 for US military use. In the original form, the point of the test is to run as far as possible within 12 minutes...

. Invited by Cooper, Coutinho attended the NASA Human Stress Laboratory.

Sports Career

In 1970 Coutinho was appointed to physical fitness coach for the Brazilian team in preparation for the 1970 World Cup
1970 World Cup
1970 World Cup may refer to:* 1970 Alpine Skiing World Cup* 1970 FIFA World Cup* 1970 Rugby League World Cup...

 in Mexico; it was during this time that Coutinho introduced the Cooper method to the Brazilian team. After the competition, Coutinho would be head coach for the Peru national football team
Peru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...

, technical coordinator of Brazil's World Cup team in 1974 , the French team Olympique de Marseille and the Brazilian Olympic Team, taking it to fourth place in the Montreal Olympics of 1976. In the same year, he became head coach of Flamengo
Flamengo
Flamengo is the name of a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.- History :It is the Portuguese word for Flemish, and it was given to the nearby beach because it was the place where the Dutch sailor Olivier van Noort tried to invade the city in 1599...

.

Coutinho's relatively good performance in these places, and his history with the Brazilian Confederation of Sports, gave him the credentials to be a substitute for Osvaldo Brandão within the Brazilian National Soccer Team, and he would eventually apply for the vacant head coach position in anticipation the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. His selection caused some surprise, as he was considered inexperienced for the job. Soon he took command, and tried to implement their own philosophy. At the time, Brazilian football was undergoing an existential crisis. The failure in the 1974 World Cup team, together with other factors, led many to conclude that the Brazilian method of play, based on indivualism and star players, was outdated and that the important thing was now the European model, where players worked together like cogs in a machine.

Death

At the end of 1981 season, Coutinho was on vacation in Rio de Janeiro, before joining the Arabian football . An expert diver, Coutinho was diving in Cagarras Islands , an archipelago near Ipanema Beach , when he drowned at age 42.

External links


  • COUTINHO Site1 or COUTINHO Site2
  • http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20020530/ai_n12612099
  • http://www.v-brazil.com/culture/sports/world-cup/1978-Argentina.html
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