Dunga, head coach of the Brazilian football team, said on Tuesday that the 2010 World Cup qualifying tournament is a war.

"The tournament is a war. Brazil needs to be victorious. What we should do is to have a good start," said Dunga to the press in Rio de Janeiro.

As a player, Dunga played 10 qualifying matches with seven victories and three ties.

"It was a good experience, but I was then an athlete. Now I will play the matches as a coach, it's different. If I can repeat those results as a coach, it will be wonderful," said Dunga.

Brazil will take on Colombia on October 14, and Ecuador on October 17, as their first challenges in the World Cup qualifying tournament. The first game will be held in Bogota, and the other one in Rio, at the Maracana Stadium, where the squad has not laid their feet since 2000.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2007)