Uncertainty over the renewal of coach Filipe Luis’ contract has been haunting Flamengo in the last few weeks ahead of the Libertadores final. With the title confirmed, the topic resurfaces. Internally, Flamengo’s board remains clearly concerned that the recognition the coach has sought after his achievements may push him to seek the European market, but is optimistic about “staying”.
For this reason, and after financial offers from both parties, the issue became a presidential matter. Luiz Eduardo Baptista, PAP, took over the negotiations to preserve Flamengo’s interests. The main issue is not to leave the club vulnerable in the event of international harassment. The planned renovation until the end of 2027 allows for medium- and long-term planning.
In this context, the dialogue gained some paths. Pap begins to deal with the financial problem, but contact with Felipe Luis is made through businessman Jorge Méndez. The Portuguese agent, in turn, keeps director José Boto on the line, who defends the survival of Filipe Luis, but he left the scene so that Papp could determine Flamengo’s limits in the negotiations.
This centralization alarmed all parties. The information received from the coach is that he would like to resolve the situation after sending a financial offer to the club. For Flamengo, the initial impression was that the intended height could be adjusted after the titles, but the big fear after that was Felipe’s preference for European flights.
Messages from the president, coach and athletes
As the deadline for Brazil and Libertadores approached, the issue calmed down. Should Flamengo win both tournaments, Felipe returns to the negotiating table and makes the decision. Papp, in turn, sent a simple message, that there is no professional greater than Flamengo, and that it is necessary to reach a common denominator, otherwise everyone will pass. The Board of Directors intends to return to the topic after the achievement it achieved in Lima and put the hammer down without waiting for the end of the year when the current contract expires.
– I really hope Felipe sees that his future, which will be bright, will be for a long time at Flamengo. It will not be due to my lack of willpower that Felipe will not stay at Flamengo. In fact, I’ve had this conversation with him for a long time, which we don’t talk about. He knows what I think, the support I offer, and everything we’ve been through. So I’m completely calm. If Felipe wants to continue, of course he will continue. If, for whatever reason, he doesn’t want to continue, Flamengo is bigger than me, he’s bigger than everyone who has gone through there, we’ve outgrown Jorge Jesus, but in this way, I really believe this will have a very happy ending, and I think that -,’ the president told ESPN.
Bab mentioned some points that may explain some of the difference. In practical terms, Flamengo’s day-to-day activities today are carried out by Filipe Luis, both in terms of technique and management of the group. The Board of Directors knows that access to the locker room requires a coach’s passport. This will be important to maintain and strengthen the team in the market in the coming years. Felipe, in turn, indicates that he wants to keep the keys to the locker room with the professionals, and the keys to the club with the management. The synergy with the players is tremendous. Therefore, the collective demand of his team after the continental title over Palmeiras: “He must stay.”
– There is the coach’s goal, there is Flamengo’s goal, and there are the adjustments that we have to make in the club’s operations. I believe that the club should never be a hostage of anything, not to anyone, not to the president, not to any coach. Sometimes the excessive concentration of power that a person wants does not match what we think. I saw Jesus leave, as the greatest coach at Flamengo, and we did not score a single training session with Jesus. There was not a single document for us to access and compare with what we have… It is as if the new coach arrived and re-established Flamengo football. So, as Flamengo president, it would be irresponsible for me to allow this kind of model to be repeated, wouldn’t it? So, there are some examples here, but I think they’re all editable, and we’ve never had a big problem between us. “So I think everything will be fine,” Babb added.
After the title, Felipe did not give any clues about the future, but thanked his wife Patricia, who is Spanish.
– This choice (coming to Flamengo) has a lot to do with my wife. Since then, I’ve never felt more alive, more challenged, or more excited…Flamingo gives me that. The demands are endless, but the joy is equal. Since arriving here I have become very enlightened. Before arriving here, Flamengo reached the Libertadores final once, and now has five and four titles