Bap says Flamengo would lose to Fluminense if Filipe Luís stayed | OneFootball

Luiz Eduardo Baptista fired Filipe Luís before the Carioca final

Leonardo Jardim won a title in his very first match with Flamengo, in the Campeonato Carioca final against Fluminense. The Portuguese coach replaced Filipe Luís, who was fired after an 8-0 win over Madureira in the semifinal. The change in charge was crucial for Mengão to lift the trophy, in the view of president Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap.

— I was absolutely certain we were going to lose the Campeonato Carioca to Fluminense. There are few things I hate more than losing to Fluminense. Maybe just one or two. It was the overall set of factors that made me understand I had to make a change. Today, when I look at what actually changed, it was only the coach —, Bap began.

— The director is the same, the squad is the same, the staff, the department, the Maracanã is the same... I look at Leonardo (Jardim) and see him getting more out of the team than before. So I fulfilled my role in making it perform better. The personal relationship was never bad (with Filipe Luís) —, added the Flamengo president during ‘São Paulo Innovation Week’ on Thursday (14).

HOW DID THE CARIOCA FINAL GO?

With the squad still surprised by Filipe Luís’ dismissal, Flamengo drew 0-0 with Fluminense in Leonardo Jardim’s debut. However, in the penalty shootout, the Rubro-Negro won the Carioca title, with Agustín Rossi saving penalties from Agustín Rossi, on shots by Guga and Otávio.

After the match, Leonardo Jardim and some players shared the credit with Filipe Luís, who had led the team for practically the entire competition. The former full-back, even after the ‘magical year’ of 2025, ended up being fired after losing the Recopa and Supercopa at the start of 2026.

COINCIDENCE WITH FILIPE LUÍS?

Now, Leonardo Jardim will have to chase Filipe Luís’ results, after he won the Brasileirão and the Libertadores last year. However, the two coaches do share one negative coincidence: both were knocked out early in the Copa do Brasil. After losing to Vitória in the fifth round of the knockout stage, the Portuguese coach is now focused on bouncing back in the Brasileirão.

Four points behind leaders Palmeiras (with a game in hand), Flamengo is looking for a win this Sunday (17) against Athletico-PR. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Brasília time at Arena da Baixada in Curitiba. Coluna do Fla, of course, will be there with all the information.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.