“It was a bad choice at the time”

Former player and current sports commentator Silas recalled his time at the helm of Flamengo after the “Star Game”. According to him, the trip to Rubro-negro was in response to an invitation from Zico, host of the traditional end-of-year charity evening. At the time, “Galinho” was executive director of the Rio club.

“I wasn’t going to refuse an invitation from Zico. He came to my house, invited me to be Flamengo’s coach. If you remember, Bruno (the goalkeeper) had just been arrested. The atmosphere was very heavy,” Silas reported in an interview in the mixed zone of the Maracanã. The former player also admitted that he was not ready to take over the club at that time.

“The atmosphere was very heavy. I was a young coach, it was not the time to come. But, at the same time, I could not refuse an invitation from Galo (Zico). Not only for me, but for many people, he is ‘the guy’. But at that time it was a bad choice, I could have gone further. It was still a good experience, it added to me and my career. It’s past, it’s in history”, Silas concluded.

Remember Silas’s time at Flamengo

Silas’s time at Flamengo lasted just over a month, between September and October 2010. The then coach only played 10 games in front of Rubro-Negro, with just one win, six draws and three defeats. Zico’s tenure as Flamengo’s football director was similarly short: it lasted just four months, from May to October of the same year.

Bruno’s arrest, mentioned by Silas, took place in July 2010, following the assassination of model Eliza Samudio. During the investigation, the then goalkeeper was considered the main suspect of the crime and ended up being fired by Flamengo. The player was then placed in preventive detention. After the investigation and trial concluded, Bruno ended up serving 22 years and three months in prison.

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