CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Luis Felipe Scolari, the man who coached Brazil to its fifth World Cup triumph at the South Korea/Japan tournament in 2002, said now is not the time for him to take over as coach of the Selecao for a second time.
Later, however, it remains a possibility.
"It would be wonderful to finish my career coaching a national team in the World Cup in Brazil" in 2014, Scolari, 61, told Brazil's radio Eldorado. "But I won't be able to accept any offers until after 2012.
Scolari, who also coached Portugal to the final of Euro 2004, is under contract to coach Palmeiras in the Brazilian league for the next two years.
Scolari was mentioned by the Brazilian media as a candidate to replace Dunga, who is stepping down as Brazil's coach following its quarterfinal elimination by the Netherlands.
Dunga and all of his staff were dismissed, the Brazilian Football Federation announced on Sunday.
"With the closing of the work cycle that started in August 2006 and ended with the elimination of Brazil from the World Cup in South Africa, the CBF announces the dismissal of the Technical Commission of the Brazilian team," the CBF said in a statement.
It added that a new coach will be appointed before the end of the month. Former AC Milan coach and 1994 World Cup winner Leonardo is being talked about as a potential replacement for Dunga.
The Brazilian team arrived back in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo by chartered plane on Sunday. Some players were greeted with cheers, but midfielder Felipe Melo, who was red-carded in the quarterfinal loss to the Dutch, was the target of a few insults.
Van Persie OK for semis: Dutch striker Robin van Persie has largely overcome a left elbow injury and will be able to play against Uruguay in Tuesday's semifinal in Cape Town, a team spokesman said.
However, defender Diego Lugano, Uruguay's captain, might miss the match because of a right knee ligament injury. Lugano trained on Sunday but remains doubtful.
"It's complicated, because the time between matches is so short now," he said. "But I was lucky enough to be able to train and run in straight lines, which is very favorable."
Van Persie also trained Sunday, but separate from the other Dutch players so as to avoid physical contact on the elbow.
Spanish striker out? Spain coach Vicente del Bosque is considering benching struggling striker Fernando Torres for Wednesday's semifinal against Germany.
Torres has failed to score in any of Spain's five World Cup matches, rarely looking like a threat despite starting four straight games, including Saturday's 1-0 quarterfinal win over Paraguay.
"He remains a focal point for us," del Bosque said. "To be on a (scoreless) streak or not, he offers hard work and personality and he'll be our striker. Saying that doesn't mean he's an untouchable starter, but we have full confidence in him."
The 26-year-old Torres arrived at the World Cup still recovering from knee surgery in April. He hasn't scored in a competitive international since the 2009 Confederations Cup.
Del Bosque tinkered with his formation during the match against Paraguay, with midfielder Cesc Fabregas replacing Torres after 56 minutes, and forward Pedro Rodriguez later coming on. The offense picked up when Fabregas entered the match.
Fabregas could start against Germany as part of a five-man midfield behind David Villa, the tournament's leading scorer with five goals.
Ronaldo a father: Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who had an indifferent World Cup scoring only one goal as the Portuguese were ousted in the second round, said he has become a father.
Ronaldo, 25, said a woman he declined to identify had given birth to their son.
"It is with great joy and emotion that I inform I have recently become a father to a baby boy," he announced on his social media sites.
Cannavaro moves on: Fabio Cannavaro, the defender who was captain of Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning team, has joined Al Ahli, champion of the United Arab Emirates, but he said the reason for the move was not financial.
"It wasn't an economic choice, it was a family choice," said Cannavaro, who also played on the Italy team that failed to advance out of the first round at South Africa 2010. "(In Dubai), there's not as much pressure as in the leagues I'm used to, and I would like to help the younger players gain from my experience."
Cannavaro, 36, has played for Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid and represented Italy 136 times. He was the world player of the year in 2006.
Tribune wires contributed to this report.