Lisbon, Nov 16: Portugal's football federation is close to clinching a deal with Brazil's World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, the organization said in a statement.

It said federation president Gilberto Madail met with the man known as "Big Phil" in Madrid on Thursday and the two men "reiterated their interest in eventually formalizing an agreement that would satisfy the involved parties." Madail said in a radio interview broadcast in Portugal earlier this week that Scolari, who stepped down after landing Brazil's fifth World Cup this year, was his first choice to coach the Portuguese national sqaud.


"At this meeting, the two sides manifested a convergence of their points of view regarding the issues related to the hiring by the Portuguse football federation of a coach," the statement added.


The association said some final details were being ironed out but it hoped to arrive at a final agreement "as quickly as possible".


Portugal, which will host the 2004 European championships, has been without a coach since August when Antonio Oliveira was sacked following the country's disappointing first-round exit in the World Cup.
The country last had a foreigner as head of its national squad in 1966 when a Eusebio-inspired team led by Brazilian Otto Gloria made it to the World Cup semi-finals. Bureau Report