The Brazilian tactician refused to provide specific reasons behind his decision to axe the 30-year-old Maniche, who has over 40 caps with Portugal.

However, Maniche's younger brother Jorge Ribeiro, who plays for Superliga side Boavista, was included in the 23-man squad.

Maniche is currently on loan at Inter Milan from Atletico Madrid, and he has been a regular in Scolari's selection during the Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Juventus center-half Jorge Andrade also pulled out of the list as he is still recovering from a serious knee injury.

Portugal Squad

Goalkeepers: Ricardo Pereira (Real Betis), Quim Silva (Benfica), Rui Patricio (Sporting)

Defenders: Miguel Monteiro (Valencia), Jose Bosingwa (Chelsea), Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Fernando Meira (Stuttgart), Bruno Alves (Porto), Pepe (Real Madrid), Jorge Ribeiro (Boavista)

Midfielders: Nani (Manchester United), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Simao Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid), Ricardo Quaresma (Porto), Raul Meireles (Porto), Joao Moutinho (Sporting), Deco (Barcelona), Armando Petit (Benfica), Miguel Veloso (Sporting)

Forwards: Nuno Gomes (Benfica), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen),), Helder Postiga (Panathinaikos).