On the eve of the decision of the Intercontinental Club Cup, which will be contested by PSG and Flamengo, FIFA promoted in the capital of Qatar the presentation of The Best award, which rewards the main players, coaches and supporters of the season. The person who participated in the event was the president of the Rio club, Luiz Eduardo Baptista, who harshly criticized the organization of the championship.
Bap said Flamengo’s participation in the Intecontinental is “a special and unique moment”, but he questioned the fact that the European champion qualified directly for the decider, while the red and black team had to go through two phases.
— It is impossible not to say that it is absolutely unfair. Flamengo will arrive tomorrow in match number 80 of the year (editor’s note: it will be the 78th), against a club which does not need any comments due to its technical quality and which will only play one match. So it’s anything but a tournament. It’s not a tournament — he said. — But I’m happy that the subject is being discussed and I hope there will be adjustments for 2026, whether Flamengo is there or not.
Asked about the renewal of the contract of the vice-president of football, the Portuguese José Boto, approached by European teams, and that of coach Filipe Luís, Bap said nothing.
— I don’t know Boto’s situation. I know from Bap that he is happy, he will remain president of Flamengo for the next two years, working very hard to bring joy to the nation. And Filipe is fine, thank you, focused on tomorrow’s match.
Regarding the decisive match against PSG, scheduled for Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Ahmad Bin Ali stadium, he projected:
“I hope that the football gods will be with Flamengo tomorrow, that we can give this title to the nation,” concluded the director, who arrived in the country after the duels against Cruz Azul and Pyramids. On these occasions, the vice president of club administration, Marcos Motta, was the red-black representative.
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