Alcaraz gains confidence from Filipe Luís in pre-season at Flamengo

Despite his short career as a professional coach, Filipe Luís continues to attract attention from around the world for his work at Flamengo. Last week, Fenerbahçe (TUR) attempted to sign him , but both the Rio de Janeiro club and the manager rejected the offer .

José Boto on Fenerbahçe's proposal for Flamengo's Filipe Luís: "this is not a bank"

In an interview with UOL, football director José Boto revealed the behind-the-scenes story behind the Turkish move: "Last week, he had the option of leaving the club. I know this because the president of Fenerbahçe called me asking how much money Flamengo wanted to release Filipe Luís . I replied that this isn't a bank. We had no intention of selling him. The club even offered more than the contractual fine, but he didn't want to go. He didn't want to abandon this project."

FENERBAHÇE CONTINUES ON ITS PATH AND ANNOUNCES ANOTHER COACH

With negotiations unsuccessful, Fenerbahçe looked at other options. After José Mourinho's departure on August 29, the Turkish club explored several options, including Filipe Luís , but ultimately agreed on Domenico Tedesco last week . Thus, the red-and-black fans can breathe a sigh of relief at the prospect of a new European push.

FILIPE LUÍS'S CAREER AS A COACH

Filipe Luís is about to complete a year in charge of Flamengo . The coach took over the team on September 30, 2024, after Tite's dismissal, and has since collected titles: Copa do Brasil, Campeonato Carioca, and Supercopa do Brasil . The coach has played 65 games, with 43 wins, 16 draws, and only six losses, consolidating one of the club's most consistent campaigns in recent years.

NEXT CHALLENGE IN THE LIBERTADORES

Flamengo, under the command of Filipe Luís, begins this Thursday (18) the dispute of the quarterfinals of the Libertadores against Estudiantes (ARG) . The match takes place at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã, with broadcast by ESPN (closed TV) and Disney+ (streaming).

Sesc Flamengo began training with the full squad for the 2025/26 season of the Women's Superliga this Monday (15). The last athletes to show up were Helena Wenk, Laís, Lorena, Tainara and Masa Kirov, who were competing in international tournaments for the Brazilian and Serbian national teams.

During their time with their national teams, several players achieved significant achievements. Helena, Laís, Lorena, and Tainara won silver in the Nations League and bronze at the World Cup with the Brazilian national team. Tainara also shone, winning bronze at the U-21 World Cup . Masa Kirov represented Serbia in competitions such as the VNL, the U-21 World Cup, and the adult World Cup.

Other athletes also collected titles before the preseason. Julliana Granda and Adria won the Junior Pan American Championships with the U-23 team, while Camila Mesquita took bronze at the U-16 Universiade. These three athletes had already been training with the group in recent weeks.

REFORMULATION AND ARRIVAL OF NEW REINFORCEMENTS

Sesc Flamengo is undergoing a major overhaul and has introduced important reinforcements. Among the standouts are opposite Tainara, signed from Shanghai Bright (China), setter Giovana, American outside hitter Simone Lee, middle blocker Masa Kirov, and setter Vivian . While awaiting the return of coach Bernardinho, currently leading the Men's National Team at the World Cup, the team remains under the interim leadership of Hélio Griner.

SESC FLAMENGO'S DEBUT, OBJECTIVES AND GAMES

The Women's Superliga debut is scheduled for October 20th against Paulistano/Barueri at Tijuca Tênis Clube. The project, a partnership between Flamengo, RJ Vôlei, and Sesc, received direct investment from Flamengo and aims to position the team among the four largest in the country in terms of budget, aiming to compete for national and international titles.

Estudiantes announced this Monday (15) two confirmed absences for the match against Flamengo , valid for the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores. The match is scheduled for this Thursday, at Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro . The return game will be held seven days later, in Argentina.

The first player to be out is 33-year-old defender González Pírez , a River Plate youth product. The defender suffered a Grade 3 hamstring injury in his right thigh and is expected to be out for at least a month , ruling him out of both matches against the red-and-blacks.

SANTIAGO NÚÑEZ WILL BE THE SUBSTITUTE

Without further ado, coach Eduardo Domínguez confirmed that Santiago Núñez will replace González Pírez . The defender had already replaced his injured teammate in the match against River Plate and scored Estudiantes' only goal in the 2-1 defeat.

The club expects to maintain defensive consistency even without its regular starter . The Argentine coach has emphasized in previous interviews the importance of maintaining tactical discipline to balance the match against Flamengo at Maracanã.

EDWUIN CETRÉ ALSO MISSES

In attack, 27-year-old Colombian Edwuin Cetré is also out of the match in Rio de Janeiro. The forward suffered a grade 1 muscle injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg . He is expected to be available for the return leg on September 25th.