Ramon Abatti Abel reports in the summary that balls were purposely deflated in a game between Corinthians and Flamengo

Flamengo returns to the field next Saturday (12) , in a match against São Paulo, a game that marks the return of the Brazilian Championship after the break for the Club World Cup. Thus, Müller, former player and commentator, placed Flamengo above Palmeiras among the favorites to take the tournament trophy.

Müller talks about Flamengo: “For me, (Flamengo) has the best squad in South America."

He continued: "In the Brazilian Championship, Flamengo is the leader, and the others have to run after it ", said former player Müller, during the Mesa Redonda program, on TV Gazeta.

“Palmeiras has no money? Revenue of R$1 billion? Spend R$100 million, R$200 million and sign top-level players: ‘the ball solves it’. Because, with these players there, you can forget about it”, he concluded.

FLAMENGO AND PALMEIRAS IN THE BRAZILIAN LEAGUE

It is worth noting that Flamengo and Palmeiras have dominated the Brazilian football scene in recent years. In six Brazilian Championship matches, the title went to one of the two teams. The Mais Querido lifted the trophy on two occasions: 2019 and 2020. The São Paulo team was champion in four other editions: 2016, 2018, 2022 and 2023.

FOCUS ON THE NEXT GAME

Thus, current leader of the 2025 Brasileirão, Flamengo is preparing to return to the field on Saturday (12). The Mais Querido faces São Paulo, at 4:30 pm, at Maracanã, in a match valid for the 13th round of the points tournament.

José Boto finds himself without the support of Flamengo's board of directors and is considering resigning . In addition, another aggravating factor could make the director say goodbye to the club early. This is because new leaked conversations of the director appeared this Monday (7).

This is because the communicator Júlio Miguel Neto showed dialogues with the football director, on topics related to the possible dismissal and what caused the withdrawal of the signing of the striker Michael Johnston.

BOTO'S LEAKED CONVERSATIONS

Regarding his departure, after a crisis behind the scenes at Flamengo , Boto wrote: “I am reflective, I am thinking ”. Although his dismissal is not being considered internally, the director may ask to be dismissed from the club, as stated by Júlio Miguel Neto.

Regarding Michael Johnston , Boto said that the “ real reason is that we found a better option and there would be no vacancy for a foreigner ”. The name, however, is kept confidential. Remembering that of the public negotiations, Flamengo has talks with Jorge Carrascal and Esequiel Barco.

JOSE BOTO'S FUTURE

Thus, the Flamengo director is still reflecting on whether or not he will remain in office, meetings between Boto and the other directors about the continuation of the work will take place. In this way, president Bap will have his first mission to try to contain the unexpected crisis.

Flamengo is experiencing instability behind the scenes. The football management led by Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, is facing criticism and questions, while the name of José Boto, hired at the beginning of the season as technical director, has been the center of recent tensions. In the midst of the storm, Marcos Braz, former vice president of football and an influential figure in the 2019 achievements, returned to the social media with a post that caused a stir among fans and behind the scenes at the club.

IS FLAMENGO HAVING A GOOD MOMENT?

The expression “ice in the blood”, immortalized by Braz during the magical year of 2019, has resurfaced. In a story published on his Instagram account, the former executive showed an image with the phrase, accompanied by an excerpt from the song “Deixe a Vida Rolar”, by singer Clovis Pê: “No problem, you’re welcome. Time tells everything. Do whatever you want. Without fear of the world.”

BRAZ IGNITES THE FANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

The combination of the caption and the image did not go unnoticed by the fans, who saw it as a direct message to the current leadership of the red-black football team. Fans quickly reacted to the post. Many interpreted it as a veiled criticism of the way the football department has been run since Braz's departure. Others, however, recalled the poor results under his management in recent years, especially in 2023 and 2024, and treated the post as opportunism.

The target of the crisis is José Boto, a Portuguese who has played for clubs such as Shakhtar Donetsk and Benfica. Since taking over at Flamengo in early 2024, the Portuguese director has found it difficult to apply his work philosophy at Ninho do Urubu . Behind-the-scenes reports indicate a friction with president Bap, especially after the veto of the signing of Irish striker Mikey Johnston, who was recommended by Boto.

The situation has raised red alerts within the club and could culminate in the professional's eventual departure. Sources close to the football department indicate that a meeting between the parties should take place in the next few days to discuss José Boto's future. The relationship between him and Bap has deteriorated over the last few weeks, and the veto on Johnston was just the last straw.