BASEL, Switzerland: Luiz Felipe Scolari insisted on Saturday that his move to Chelsea, which he admitted was partly for financial gain, would not distract him or his Portugal squad from its bid to win Euro 2008.
"It is not going to change anything at the moment," Scolari said. "I am here with my body and soul, completely invovlved to the end and I hope we can get to another final."
Scolari said his negotiations with Chelsea had been conducted in the full knowledge of his current employer after it had failed to strike a deal with sponsors to finance a new contract for him that may have allowed him to extend his stay in Portugal.
Asked if that meant he was going to Chelsea for the money, Scolari responded: "Yes, that is one of the reasons."
He added: "It was not only because they (the Portuguese federation) did not get the appropriate sums. I am 59 and I don't want to work as a coach until I'm 70. I want to retire in four or five more years, so money was an issue but not the only one."
Scolari said his decision to move to London had also been motivated by a desire for his son to study in England.
"Five and a half years is a record for me in a job. It is good to change things. And then these kind of opportunities do not come along every day."
To the question of whether it had affected the atmosphere in the squad, he said: "No". To whether the timing was good, he said "Yes". To whether the timing showed a lack of respect to the squad and fans, he said: "No".
Source: China Daily/Agencies
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