The statement by Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista that all that remains is to sign the renewal with coach Filipe Luís caused an upheaval optimism it goes beyond the facts.
Since the end of the Brazilian Championship, Bap has not been able to reach an understanding with the coach and his representative, businessman Jorge Mendes. There were only a few days left before the trip to Qatar to play the Intercontinental.
After the match against Cruz Azul this Wednesday, the tournament could continue until December 17 in the event of going to the final against PSG, two weeks before the end of the coach’s contract.
During the negotiations carried out before the start of the title fight, Filipe Luís also adopted a patient tone and focused on the remaining matches until the end of the season.
As a result, there has been no significant progress, so there is effectively a new contract to sign. In practice, there are no documents. Just the current deposit, in other words.
Filipe Luís receives a salary well below the national market of the best coaches and the counter-proposal presented to Flamengo would raise him to this level. The amount that the club spends on its main athletes weighs in favor of a revaluation, with a renewal until the end of 2026 or 2027.
Bap indicated that the club cannot be held hostage by any coach and that there would still be some “details” to reach a common denominator. These rough edges have not yet been ironed out with Filipe Luis.
— It remains to be signed. One detail or another is always missing. What happens is that the World Cup (Intercontinental Cup) postpones this decision, because we had to use ten extra days to participate in this tournament. I imagined everything would be closed before the 15th (December), and I would add ten more days. I think it will last until the 25th. It will last until Christmas — Bap said this week.
The president’s speech was considered too lively by those involved in the negotiations. But so far, Flamengo has not had to face any harassment or effective proposals from the coach.
Both parties view permanence as a mutual desire and are just waiting for time to put everything down on paper. To see if, when that happens, the coach and the club will continue together.
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