Just a few hours after his Portugal team had defeated the Czech Republic in Geneva to set up qualification for the quarter-finals of UEFA EURO 2008, Luiz Felipe Scolari was named as the new manager of Chelsea FC,  a role that the Brazilian will take up on 1 July.

Club statement
Chelsea issued a statement on Wednesday night saying: "Chelsea Football Club is delighted to confirm that Luiz Felipe Scolari will be the club's new manager from July 1, 2008." A FIFA World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002, Scolari has held the reins of the Portugal team since 2003 and led them to the final of UEFA EURO 2004 and the last four of the 2006 World Cup. Scolari's contract was due to end at the conclusion of the EURO and the hope of Portugal fans now is he will sign off with a flourish by guiding his team to their first European crown.

'Great qualities'
Scolari, 59, will replace Avram Grant as Chelsea manager and the club's statement added: "Felipe has great qualities. He is one of the world's top coaches with a record of success at country and club level, he gets the best out of a talented squad of players and his ambitions and expectations match ours. He was the outstanding choice. Out of respect for his current role as head coach of the Portuguese national team, and to ensure minimum disruption to this work, there will be no further comment from Chelsea FC nor from Felipe about his new role until his employment with us commences."