Brazil's president rues lost chance at World Cup

Published Jul. 15, 2010 4:25 p.m. ET

foxsports

Brazil's president says his country's team blew a great chance at winning a sixth World Cup title.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva adds this should have been an easy World Cup for Brazil, calling it a field with ''fragile teams'' and the weakest he's ever seen.

Silva spoke in a radio interview Thursday, two weeks after Brazil was knocked out of the tournament in South Africa with a quarterfinal loss to the Netherlands.

The president suggests that a ''new generation of players'' is needed and former coach Luiz Felipe Scolari might have the edge to succeed Dunga as coach. He says fate may have conspired against Brazil, making it more likely the country will win the next World Cup in 2014 when it is the host nation.