OK- it’s clear now. The Portuguese told Scolari to cease and desist.
Here’s what Scolari had to say:
“I would like to definitively put an end to this situation right now. I know that I was one of the five, six, seven, eight, 10 — I don’t know how many names were mentioned to be the England coach — and that there would be the possibility that there could be a possible contract.
“I was very happy to have been mentioned but I want to put an end to this situation, definitively right now. I’m not the coach. I won’t be the coach, because the England federation is still going to pick a name and my name is not among these names because I want to close this matter now, here.
“Portugal…does not have the situation where the coach can negotiate with other clubs or federations or anything of that sort.
“I’d like to thank those people who were with me last night at a dinner and they reminded me with sensitivity of the situation involving the Portuguese people, and involving Portugal, and that led me to reflect.
“I’d like to thank them for inviting me to the dinner last night and having the opportunity of socialising together and…reminding me of all those moments in which people were showing their support and that gave me the impression that I was leaving a family, that I was heading the national team as if I was leading my own children.
“One of the people who was there asked me to take Portugal to the World Cup as if it was the last act of my life. So I got the message loud and clear.
“Right now I want to make an appeal to all of you. Mostly those of you who are from Portugal. We’re going forward together. We’re going to go out of here to the World Cup together. We’re all here together in this beautiful site and all the wonderful people who received us here and we could all be joined together in going towards the World Cup.
“I’d also like to thank the president of the federation. He understands my position perfectly and I understand his. I understand that there is still a relationship. And right now I’d like to thank him for the freedom that he gave me, to speak with the English federation.
“I’d like to return the favour by telling him that he can talk with whomever he wants and he can contact whomever he wants after the contract runs out on July 31. And that our contract through July 31 will be completed by both sides. And after that, no one knows what’s going to happen.
“I don’t want to deal with the situation involving England any more because in the two days in which I was never the coach, I never concluded anything, my life was invaded, my privacy was completely besieged. Today alone I had 20 reporters in front of my house. Today alone there were absurd comparisons between couples, on how they dress. This has no part in my life. It’s never going to be part of my life. If this is part of another culture, it’s not part of my culture.”