Zagallo quized over World Cup final

Former Brazil coach Mario Zagallo appeared before a Congressional commission and denied that sportswear giants and national team sponsors Nike had interfered in the picking of the team when he was in charge.

''I picked the team myself, there was never any interference from Nike or the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation),'' he told the commission, one of two created by congress to investigate the country's crisis-hit national sport, on Tuesday.

''If there had been interference, I would have resigned,'' said the veteran coach in an often heated three-hour session. ''I have never accepted interference as coach of any club or national team.''

Congress has begun the investigations, one in the Lower House and one in the Senate, amid a public outcry over the way Brazil'c so-called ''national passion'' is administered.

The last 12 months have seen domestic chaos, poor results at internationallevel and a series of scandals, one allegedly involving former national team coach Wanderley Luxemburgo, who was sacked in September.

The Lower House commission is focusing on the relationship between Nike and the CBF, which many Brazilians see as an incursion into national sovereignty. Politicians want to discover how much influence the multinational corporation has in the running of the country's cherished national team.

Zagallo was asked about the 1998 World Cup final against France when star player Ronaldo, who has a personal contract with Nike, played for 90 minutes despite reports that he had suffered a convulsive fit only hours earlier.

Zagallo, 69, replied that he included Ronaldo in the team after being given the all-clear by the team doctors. Ronaldo gave a subdued performance, Brazil lost 3-0 and Zagallo was sacked one week later.

''I had the results of examinations taken by a French clinic saying there was no problem. Imagine, a player of his standing was in front of me asking me to play and 160 million Brazilians at home wanting him in the team,'' said Zagallo, now coach of Rio de Janeiro club Flamengo.

''Imagine, reversing the situation, if we lost 3-0 and I hadn't played him. Then they would have said Zagallo is stubborn and that sort of thing.''

Zagallo, who won the World Cup as a player in 1958 and 1962 and as Brazil coach in 1970, added: ''My contract was with the CBF. I have got nothing to do with the problem with Nike and the CBF. There was never any interference of any kind in the team.''

He added, though, that on one occasion during the World Cup, the Brazil team had been forced to drive around Paris after training session to attend a Nike-sponsored event.

''We finished the training and went to this event, where there were festivities,'' he said.

Zagallo lost his temper at the start of the session, when one member of the commission claimed he had written a letter last year urging that the inquiry not take place.

A furious Zagallo shouted: ''I did not write this letter. I'm not dishonest. My life is clean.'' Asked to be quiet, he shouted: ''How can I be quiet when I hear something like this.''

The session was delayed for at least 20 minutes as various Congressmen lectured Zagallo on his behaviour and on the inquiry's etiquette.

Later, the politicians admitted the letter had been written by the CBF, not Zagallo.

Brazil's team doctor at the 1998 World Cup Lido Toledo was also interviewed and said he did not believe Ronaldo had a convulsive fit before the game.

''He was sleepy. I do not believe he had a real convulsive fit. The French doctors said he could play; they just asked him not to score against France,'' said Toledo.