Joao Paulo Sampaio had to remove players in the final stage of Paulistão from the category due to personal interests within the team.
Palmeiras youth team director, João Paulo Sampaio, explained the reasons for excluding the under-17 team from competing in the final stage of the Paulista Championship. At that time, a month ago, the coach asked the Under-16 team to play the final matches of the competition, for individual reasons.
The club did not provide details about the case, but there are reports indicating that there is an internal dispute between the 2008 generation and athletes born in 2009. The director said that individual interests cannot prevail over the club’s interests.
“Today (players) are companies, especially in big clubs. There are their employees, the technical director, the physiotherapist. They are companies inside the locker room of a team sport. And everyone wants to see their company. So what? What happened? What did I do? I removed an entire team to say that the company is Palmeiras,” Sampaio said, in an interview with Charla Podcast.
The manager believes that the club cannot be a hostage to young players, in addition to the possibility of creating “monsters.” Sampaio believes he has made the message clear and stressed that there will be no greater athlete or coaching staff than Palmeiras.
He added: “The productive mother is Palmeiras. This company cannot be negotiated. No one with its employees will be bigger than Palmeiras. It is here only for Palmeiras and we will not be your hostages. I left to deliver the message. I succeeded and I hope it will be the first of many messages. The club cannot be a hostage of teenagers and children, because after that they will turn into monsters.”
The penalty applies only to Paulisto. The team has continued to train away and will compete in further competitions in this category.
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