Football
ESPN staff 9y

Thiago Silva: No problems with Neymar or Dunga over Brazil captaincy

Thiago Silva has revealed he has made peace with new Brazil captain Neymar and Dunga after being stripped of the role by the national coach.

Silva, 30, lost the armband after the Selecao crashed out of the World Cup semifinals with a 7-1 defeat to eventual winners Germany on home soil, before losing the third-place playoff 3-0 to Netherlands.

"It wasn't up to me to approach the matter first," Silva said on Sunday in quotes picked up by AFP. "He [Neymar] didn't come to talk to me. Nobody talked to me about it. It happened without explanation. That's what upset me."

The Paris Saint-Germain centre-back -- who has missed callups to Dunga's first two squads due to an injury sustained in preseason -- has since claimed his words have been misinterpreted, and he respects the coach's decision.

"I consider Neymar like a brother and that's not going to change because of an armband," he said on Monday. "I have great affection for him. I'm a sincere guy. I told him what I thought and it does not affect my friendship."

Neymar was surprised that Silva decided to go public with his grievances, though the 22-year-old Barcelona forward insists the Selecao can now move on.

"I told him along with all the players that we have to be careful what we say," he said. "He [Silva] phoned me to discuss things and it's not going to call our friendship into question.

"I told him that I didn't have to comment on that while I'm now the captain. I don't have to talk about it. It's a question of hierarchy like in a club. Everything is resolved now.

"For me to be captain is not a goal in itself. I don't want to be it [captain] at any price. But now that I've been chosen, I'll try to carry out this responsibility in the best possible way."

Silva also discussed the matter with Dunga in training on Monday morning before Brazil's friendly against Austria on Tuesday, saying: "I was concerned because I didn't know how he had interpreted my words which had been twisted and I wanted to clarify things.

"He accepted my explanation. It took a weight off my shoulders. Everything is back to normal between us."

Dunga added: "The conversation that we had remains private. I decide who lines out on the pitch. I respect the requests of each player, their personal stories. But we also have our plan, we believe in hierarchy, in work and the team.

"Some players who perform well at club level have to accept criticism, because there is a difference between the club and the Selecao."

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