FORMER FLAMENGO, PAQUETÁ IS INDICTED AGAIN FOR ALLEGED BETTING SCHEME

Gabigol, away from Flamengo while he decides the next steps of his career, has Cruzeiro as one of those interested in signing him. Due to those ironies that football produces, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais face each other this Sunday (30), at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã, for the 13th round of the Brazilian Championship. The player's presence could add an extra ingredient to the already fierce confrontation.

Although they want to have the striker in their squad, now or at the end of the season, Raposa already surpasses Flamengo in one aspect: being the team of Series A that invested the most money in reinforcements during the year. This fact highlights Cruzeiro's ambition to strengthen its squad to compete at a high level in the national championship.

Much of this is due to the change in command of the SAF. If with Ronaldo spending was reduced to R$11.8 million on four players (Lucas Romero, Juan Dinenno, Lucas Villalba and Álvaro Barreal), the situation changed completely as soon as Pedro Lourenço took power. The new Cruzeirense management brought a philosophy of aggressive investment in the transfer market.

The new Cruzeirense manager promised to give the club a new face and went to the market with "hungry" to guarantee signings of impact. In this wave, names such as strikers Lautaro Díaz and Kaio Jorge, midfielders Fabrizio Pereira, Matheus Henrique and Walace, and defender Jonathan Jesus arrived. Not to mention goalkeeper Cássio, hired free of charge, further reinforcing the team.

In addition to these reinforcements, there is also the money invested to permanently sign defender João Marcelo and midfielder Matheus Pereira . Thus, Cruzeiro spent the equivalent of R$188 million on players, more than the R$162 million spent by Flamengo. This demonstrates the Minas Gerais team's determination to build a competitive squad.

The difference is that, if Raposa paid all this in 17 athletes, Rubro-Negro invested all this amount in four names: defender Léo Ortiz, left-back Matías Viña, midfielder De La Cruz and striker Carlinhos. This discrepancy in the number of players acquired reveals different market strategies between the two clubs.

It is also worth remembering that Cruzeiro had an agreement with Dudu, who in the end renounced the deal to continue at Palmeiras. Gabigol could further unbalance this ranking in favor of Cruzeiro, if the team from Minas Gerais insists on signing him and reaches an agreement with Flamengo. According to ESPN, the locals are even willing to release number 99, as long as they receive financial compensation that they deem consistent with the attacker's value.

Behind the scenes aside, the clubs duel on the field this Sunday in similar situations in the table. Flamengo, at home, seeks to forget the defeat against Juventude and regain the lead, which was theirs at the beginning of the round. Cruzeiro, with 20 points, wants to stay on top of the top four, making the game even more crucial for both sides.

Bolívar will have to deal with a major loss in the round of 16 of the Libertadores. Francisco da Costa, one of the team's main players, will not be available to face Flamengo. The striker arranged his transfer to Cerro Porteño, from Paraguay, and has already said goodbye to the Bolivian club. Francisco da Costa's departure took many fans by surprise, mainly due to the proximity of the decisive games against Flamengo.

FLAMENGO WILL HAVE GOOD NEWS

O Brazilian striker vineyard being a fundamental piece in Bolívar's tactical scheme and his absence will certainly be felt. He now joins Cerro Porteño, where he hopes to continue showing his good football. Bolívar's coach will have to rethink his strategy for the clashes against Flamengo.

Francisco da Costa was one of the team's main offensive weapons team, and his absence leaves a big question mark about how Bolívar will behave on the field. The team will have to quickly find a suitable replacement to maintain its chances of advancing in the competition. On the other hand, Francisco da Costa's absence can be seen as a relief for Flamengo. Rubro-Negro is preparing for a difficult duel, but the absence of a key opponent's player could make the task easier for Tite's men. However, the Rio team knows they cannot underestimate Bolívar, who still has other talented players and a good squad.

The drama involving Gabigol and Flamengo escalated even further this Saturday (29), when the striker was removed from the list of players listed for the match against Cruzeiro. The removal generated a furious reaction from Claudemir Almeida, uncle of Gabigol, who used his social networks to criticize coach Tite and the club's board of directors.

On his Instagram account, Claudemir did not mince words when expressing his dissatisfaction with the situation of his nephew at Flamengo. He insinuated that Tite's arrival at the club was a breaking point in Gabigol's trajectory at Flamengo, suggesting a possible old disagreement between the coach and the attacker.

A LEVEL OF CHARGE

"The truth is that when Tite arrived at Flamengo , the end of a beautiful story at Flamengo was decreed", wrote Claudemir. He acknowledged that the player is not at his best, but argued that the only way to recover his performance is to play. "Is he in a bad phase? Yes. But he only scores goals again by playing. Gabriel, his story, his name is forever at Flamengo. That's not a director, he's not a president, he's not a fucking coach who's going to erase ", he declared.

Claudemir ended the message with a tone of encouragement, demonstrating faith in Gabigol's return to the field and in the recovery of his good performance. "Up, Gabriel. Faith in God, who will soon be doing what he loves most: playing football", he concluded. Claudemir's reaction reflects the frustration of Gabigol's family and fans, who see the striker facing a delicate moment in his career at Flamengo. Since Tite's arrival, the relationship between the coach and the player appears to have deteriorated, fueling rumors about an old feud between the two.