During his long and controversial coaching career, Scolari has become used to leaving through the front door and Monday's dismissal was a rare setback for the 60-year-old known as Big Phil.
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Scolari was a rough and ready central defender in his playing days with provincial clubs in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. He later said of his playing career: "I made the ball cry."
He won the Libertadores Cup, South America's equivalent of the Champions League, with Gremio and Palmeiras and had collected a hatful of titles by the time he left his homeland in 2002 to coach Portugal.
Those included the greatest prize of all when Scolari, having taken over as Brazil coach at one of the team's lowest ebbs only one year earlier, led his country to their fifth world title in 2002.
That victory turned Scolari into a national hero. He had prospered in one of the world's most ruthless coaching environments, even if his methods were often questioned.
"I'm stupid because I tell the truth while the others lie," he once said.
"I'll wait for you outside, mate," shouted Scolari, his eyes wild with rage, in front of millions of television viewers.
