Soccer
José Boto talks about Fenerbahçe's proposal for Filipe Luís: “Flamengo is not…”
16 Set 2025 | 08:18
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Soccer
10 Dez 2024 | 16:50 |
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After being elected president of Flamengo, Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, has already started organizing the transition for his management, which will lead the club for the next three years. One of the first actions was to schedule a meeting with Bruno Spindel, current executive director of football.
Transition meeting
According to information from 'Paparazzo Rubro-Negro', the meeting between Bap and Spindel is scheduled for next week. The two have already discussed important points of the transition even before the elections, but the objective now is to detail the planning for the new administration.
Bruno Spindel should remain temporarily
Spindel's stay at Flamengo, at least for a short period, is being considered. The executive director wants to ensure an efficient transition, but the final decision will rest with Bap. If he remains, Spindel must help the new team to adapt to the club's routine and processes.
Spidel arrived at Flamengo as Marketing manager under Eduardo Bandeira de Mello and also served as CEO of the club. In 2019, he was elevated to the position of executive director of football in a maneuver by Bap himself, at the time vice-president of External Relations, who aimed to have someone he trusted in the department, as he was the new elected president who led Bruno Spindel during EBM's first administration.
José Boto as main target
One of Bap's priorities is hiring José Boto for the position of executive director. Boto has experience in European football, having been responsible for Benfica's scouting department, where he worked alongside Jorge Jesus. The Portuguese director has already shown interest in playing in Brazilian football, reinforcing Bap's confidence in his ability to lead Flamengo's football sector.
Boto's history on Flamengo's radar
José Boto's name has already been associated with Flamengo previously, in 2022, when it emerged as an option to assist Marcos Braz. At the time, however, negotiations made no progress. Now, the scenario is more favorable, and Bap intends to make Boto the main person responsible for restructuring red-black football.
With the elections concluded and the transition underway, Flamengo enters a new administrative phase, aiming for strategic changes to maintain its leading position in Brazilian and international football.
Midfielder left Mengão after Zenit paid the full termination fee and the director says the situation also delayed the club in the market
16 Set 2025 | 09:30 |
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Flamengo's technical director, José Boto, addressed various topics from the season in a recent interview . Among them was the departure of Gerson, who was transferred to Zenit (RUS) for €25 million. The director explained how the transfer directly impacted the Flamengo market and negotiations for reinforcements.
José Boto on Gerson's departure from Flamengo: "I always had the feeling that Gerson aspired to a higher salary"
According to Boto, after Gerson's sale, the clubs negotiating with Flamengo began demanding tougher terms, such as larger upfront payments and fewer installments. The board, however, maintained its stance.
"There was an additional issue that made negotiations take longer: the sale of Gerson . When clubs know we're receiving €25 million upfront, they start wanting us to pay upfront or with smaller installments . We never wanted to get into that, because it would send a bad signal to the market," Boto told UOL.
This stance meant that the signings took longer to be confirmed, generating criticism from fans and the press . The manager acknowledged his discomfort with the "noise" surrounding the issue due to statements made before the window opened.
"Perhaps I was to blame for this because I said in an interview that negotiations were already underway and we expected to bring in players early. It created unnecessary fuss, and it seemed like everything was wrong . Then, when the players arrived at the right time, without paying more than we should have, the window became one of the best in history."
Despite the initial turbulence, the club closed the biggest transfer window in its history, with R$277 million invested in Samuel Lino, Emerson Royal, Jorge Carrascal and Saúl Ñíguez — the latter signed without transfer fees.
Commenting on Gerson's departure, Boto treated the player's choice matter-of-factly. According to him, there was never a €29 million offer, as was previously reported . The real offer was a fixed €18 million, with unrealistic bonuses.
"I always had the feeling that Gerson aspired to a higher salary, which is natural. It was agreed that he would only leave if they paid him upfront, and that's what happened . It's perfectly normal in football," the director explained. The departure, however, didn't sit well with the fans, who felt the decision diminished the idolization of Gerson, one of the leaders of the red-and-black squad in recent years.
After a day off last Monday, the Mengão squad returns to activities at Ninho do Urubu in preparation for the decisive duel in the competition.
16 Set 2025 | 09:11 |
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Flamengo's squad returned to work on Tuesday morning (16), at Ninho do Urubu, after having a day off on Monday (15) . The activity starts at 9:30 am (Brasília time) and marked the beginning of preparations for the duel against Estudiantes de La Plata (ARG), valid for the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores.
The club's communications department announced that goalkeeper Agustín Rossi will be the team's spokesperson for the day . The number 1 will hold a press conference immediately after training, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at Ninho do Urubu. You can stay up to date with everything in Gazeta do Urubu.
Last Sunday (14), Flamengo defeated Juventude 2-0 at Alfredo Jaconi Stadium in Caxias do Sul in the Brazilian Championship . Arrascaeta opened the scoring in the first half, while Emerson Royal doubled the lead in the second, both with headers, sealing the victory for Flamengo. With the result, the team broke a nearly 28-year drought without beating Juventude away from home.
The victory took Flamengo to 50 points, maintaining its sole lead in the tournament . "Mais Querido" also bolstered its stats as the best attack (47 goals scored) and best defense (only ten conceded in 22 matches). "Mais Querido" also leads a set of statistics in the Brasileirão.
Now, the focus turns to the Libertadores. Flamengo faces Estudiantes this Thursday (18), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã . The return game, in La Plata, is already scheduled for September 25. The match will be broadcast on ESPN (pay TV) and Disney+ (streaming) throughout Brazil.
The striker was unknown to the general public before his arrival at Sporting and the director of Mengão says that negotiations with this profile are complex
16 Set 2025 | 08:48 |
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Flamengo's football director, José Boto, said on Monday (15) that Brazilian football is not yet prepared to deal with the signing of little-known players . The director used as an example the case of striker Viktor Gyökeres, bought by Sporting (POR) when he was still playing in the English second division and later sold for 70 million euros.
José Boto uses Gyökeres as an example for signings at Flamengo: "this would be impossible"
"Sporting sold Gyökeres this year for €70 million. If I wanted to bring him to Flamengo , no one would say anything. But when Sporting paid €20 million for him in the English second division, that would have been impossible given the reaction I saw to a €5 million signing . We have to be smart enough to adapt to cultural differences and fan bases," Boto explained in an interview with UOL.
The director then reinforced the need for balance in the Rubro-Negro's negotiations: "At a club like Flamengo , with its size, it's necessary to create a mixed market. Players with impressive names and others who, even without much immediate impact, will add technical value and can still generate sporting or financial returns in the future."
Flamengo had agreed to sign striker Michael Johnston from West Bromwich Albion (ENG) for £5 million (approximately R$37 million). The player had already purchased a ticket to Rio de Janeiro, but the deal was canceled.
The club's official version was that the player had physical problems, but intense pressure from the fans played a decisive role. The negative repercussions led the board to definitively end negotiations with Johnston and West Bromwich.
Without Johnston, Flamengo bolstered its squad with more high-profile names. In the same window, Samuel Lino, Jorge Carrascal, Saúl Ñíguez, and Emerson Royal were announced , in addition to other reinforcements signed earlier in the year.
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