CBF mourns the death of Fernando Pires, first coach of the Brazilian Women’s Team in the World Cup

Fernando led the team at the World Cup in 1991
Credits: Personal Collection

A Brazilian Football Confederation regrets the death of Fernando Pires at 73 years old. He was the first coach to lead the Brazilian Women’s Team in an official competition, at the 1991 World Cup, held in Guangdong, China.

At the World Cup, Brazil was eliminated in the group stage. In Group F, the team finished in third place, accumulating just two points – a victory over Japan (1-0) and defeats against the United States (5-0) and Sweden (2-0). Big names in Brazilian football such as Pretinha, Roseli and Márcia Taffarel were part of the team under his command.

Pretinha, Roseli and Márcia Taffarel were part of the cast
Credits: Personal Collection

Before dedicating himself to the Women’s National Team, Fernando had a career as a professional player, defending renowned Brazilian football clubs, such as Portuguesa-RJ, Flamengo, Fluminense and Figueirense, as well as international experiences in Portugal. He then migrated to take on the role of coach of national and international teams.

In 2012, he was appointed second secretary of the Brazilian Football Coaches Association. He then served as Socio-Cultural Director and Financial Director of ABTF, until he became president in 2019, a position he held until his death.