Soccer
Flamengo should have reinforcements for the clash with Estudiantes in the Libertadores
16 Set 2025 | 15:04
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Soccer
28 Out 2023 | 19:11 |
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According to O Dia, Marcos Braz and Gabriel Barbosa are not having one of their best years. Flamengo's vice president of football is facing questions from fans and political supporters of Rodolfo Landim. In turn, striker Gabigol spent three long months without scoring goals during matches, which resulted in him being placed on the bench.
Furthermore, throughout this year, Marcos Braz and Gabigol joined forces. involved in a disagreement that shook the relationship between the player and the manager. This has led to a situation of exhaustion, to the point where Flamengo's squad now only maintains strictly necessary interactions with the club's vice-president of football.
With his popularity falling, Marcos Braz has lost a large part of its political influence. The change of command in Flamengo's football department, something that previously seemed unthinkable, began to be demanded by Rodolfo Landim's allies. To try to regain his influence, Marcos Braz is willing to renew his contract with Gabigol, given the difficult circumstances the attacker currently faces.
The expectation is that this renewal can re-establish a positive relationship with the leader of the red and black squad and, thus, rebuild his political strength with Landim. Gabriel Barbosa has a contract with Flamengo valid until December 2024 and expressed his desire to remain at the club until he turns 35.
Flamengo, in turn, seeks to avoid a situation similar to that of Bruno Henrique, who left negotiations to renew his contract until the last year and faced strong competition. There is a risk that another club will make an advantageous proposal and sign a pre-contract with Gabigol, which would result in him leaving Flamengo free of charge at the beginning of 2025.
The big dilemma lies in the way this renovation is being led by Marcos Braz. So far, he has not attempted to negotiate the player's requests, which include a significant salary increase, which would place him among the highest paid players in South America. Furthermore, the offer is for a five-year contract, precisely at the moment most challenging of Gabigol's career since his arrival at the club.
Internally, even Rodolfo Landim expressed surprise at the concessions made by Marcos Braz to "Predestinado" and questioned the format of the negotiation. Landim also faces demands from other members of Flamengo's Football Council and groups that support his management.
If Landim decides to intervene, as he did in the renewal of Diego Alves, this could trigger a conflict between Flamengo and Gabigol's team, making the renewal even more difficult and distant. Furthermore, this would further undermine Marcos Braz's authority at the club. In short, the situation of Marcos Braz and Gabigol at Flamengo is delicate, with political and contractual challenges that need to be overcome. The future of the relationship between the vice-president of football and the club's star striker remains uncertain, as Flamengo seeks a solution that benefits all parties involved.
Mengão faces the Argentine team with important absences that could impact the team's lineup and strategy at Maracanã this Thursday (18)
16 Set 2025 | 15:49 |
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Flamengo will have significant absences in this Thursday's (17) clash, at 9:30 pm, against Estudiantes, at Maracanã, for the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores . Among the big names that will be left out are midfielder Jorginho, full-back Alex Sandro and midfielder Pulgar.
Jorginho will miss the match against Argentina due to muscle swelling in his left thigh . Alex Sandro continues to recover from a left calf injury, while Pulgar is in the final stages of treatment after surgery on his right foot and will still require at least two weeks of physical therapy before returning to the squad.
With these absences, the coach will have to assemble a team with alternatives for midfield and left back. The likely starting lineup includes: Rossi; Royal (Varela), Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira, Ayrton Lucas (Viña); Saúl, De La Cruz (Allan), Arrascaeta; Plata, Samuel Lino, and Pedro.
The absences could influence Flamengo 's game strategy, as they seek to advance to the Copa Libertadores semifinals. The return leg will be next week in La Plata, Argentina, against Estudiantes.
Striker Bruno Henrique and full-back Varela are the main names expected to return to the team after being absent last Sunday (14), against Juventude, for the Brazilian Championship. Both trained normally with the team this Tuesday (16).
Mengão has been frequently loaning players to national teams due to its star-studded squad, and the club must pay a sum for the athletes.
16 Set 2025 | 15:39 |
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Created to reward clubs that contributed players to the World Cup, FIFA's Club Benefits Program has been expanded. From now on, teams that have players called up for the qualifiers , such as Flamengo, will also receive financial compensation .
The announcement was made by the organization itself, which confirmed the distribution of more than R$1.8 billion to clubs that release players to national teams . This amount represents an increase of almost 70% compared to the last edition of the program, implemented during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Until now, the benefit was restricted to clubs that had players called up for the World Cup. With this change, FIFA aims to be more inclusive and reach a wider range of teams: "The new edition of the FIFA Club Benefits Program for the 2026 World Cup will go a step further and recognize, in economic terms, the immense contribution made by clubs and players from around the world to the celebration of the preliminary and final stages of the tournament," said Gianni Infantino, president of the organization.
For the 2022 World Cup, the amount distributed was US$209 million (approximately R$1.1 billion at the current exchange rate). For the 2026 edition, the amount will rise to US$355 million , which represents approximately R$700 million more. In the last edition, 440 clubs from 51 different federations were included.
The increased financial contribution was directly supported by Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, owner of PSG and president of the European Club Association (ECA) . He led negotiations that resulted in the program's expansion. Despite the initial focus on benefiting European clubs, the measure will have a global reach. After the announcement, Al-Khelaïfi celebrated the progress:
"More clubs around the world will receive a reward for releasing their players. Clubs play a fundamental role in the success of international football , and this initiative recognizes all aspects of that role, from developing younger players to releasing them to play in more important matches," he declared.
Analyst says that stadium renovations and elitism with excessive ticket price increases have eliminated the hostile atmosphere at Mengão.
16 Set 2025 | 15:14 |
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ESPN journalist André Galindo sparked debate by analyzing the current atmosphere at Maracanã , especially during Flamengo games . According to the commentator, the stadium has lost some of the intimidating atmosphere that characterized previous eras.
André Galindo, from ESPN: "At the old Maracanã, Flamengo was scary, but not anymore"
According to Galindo, the new Maracanã no longer commands the same respect from opponents as the old one. He recalled that, in the past, the pressure from the red-and-black fans made a difference on the field, something that seems to have weakened today.
" Flamengo at the New Maracanã is 'my house, your house.' There's no hostile atmosphere. At the old Maracanã, Flamengo was scary, but not anymore. The only stadium in Rio that can have a hostile atmosphere is São Januário . Other than that, no one can," he declared.
The journalist also criticized the lack of synchronicity among organized fan groups. In his view, the lack of unity harms the atmosphere in the stands , previously considered one of the strongest in South America.
"Flamengo doesn't scare anyone in the stadium these days. The fans don't sing, the organized fans don't sing together; it's disorganized . At the old Maracanã, yes, the old Flamengo fans were scary, but nowadays they don't scare anyone," he added.
In the analysis, however, Galindo did not take into account important points: Flamengo remains alongside Mirassol as the only undefeated team at home in the 2025 Brasileirão. After the duel against São Paulo in the Brasileirão, the tricolor's coach, Hernán Crespo, even gave 'thanks to God' that he would not face Mais Querido again at Maracanã .
Despite the criticism, Maracanã will be the stage for another decision. Next Thursday (18), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), Flamengo hosts Estudiantes (ARG) for the first leg of the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals.
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