Boto hits back at Abel after Flamengo dig: ‘He spent more than me’

In partnership with

Coluna do Fla

·9 September 2026

Boto hits back at Abel after Flamengo dig: ‘He spent more than me’

Flamengo director hit back at Abel’s remarks about the players’ backgrounds and the investments made by both teams

Flamengo remain top of the Brasileirão, a situation that prompted indirect criticism from Abel Ferreira toward the club itself. In response, football director José Boto decided to raise the tone and hit back at the Palmeiras coach’s remarks. The Portuguese executive cited investment figures and examples of players to dismantle the green-and-white manager’s argument.

What did José Boto say about Abel Ferreira?

Abel has a communication strategy that is sometimes hard for outsiders to understand. I don’t know if he had some internal objective, if he had some goal within the group, I have no idea. It doesn’t make much sense externally, it doesn’t, because they spent almost double; since I arrived here, they have spent almost double what I spent. To say that Flamengo’s players come from big clubs is to forget that Vitor Roque played for Barcelona (ESP), that Andreas Pereira played for Manchester United (ENG), that Gustavo Gómez played for Milan (ITA); it is to forget that a little as well. It seemed to me like an attempt to shift responsibility onto us, but surely he also had some objective within Palmeiras. We’re already used to that.

What had Abel Ferreira said about Flamengo?

Abel Ferreira made the comparison after Palmeiras drew 0-0 with Botafogo and dropped to second place in the Brasileirão. On that occasion, the São Paulo side’s coach criticized the refereeing, but he also compared Flamengo’s players with those in the squad he manages.

OneFootball Videos

We could be playing with Endrick, Estêvão, Allan, Vitor Reis and many others. So when you look at the last few years, what has been happening is that Palmeiras can buy, try to buy to balance things out, but compare, for example, where the Palmeiras coach trained and, for example, the Flamengo coach. Where Palmeiras’ players played and where Flamengo’s played. So there is one team, yes, that has the obligation to do much more, and we are always competing with them.

Do the numbers back up Boto’s statement about the investments?

In the 2025 season, Flamengo invested R$ 340.537 million in signings. Palmeiras, on the other hand, spent R$ 696.959 million on reinforcements in the same period, an amount close to the double mentioned by José Boto. The figures therefore directly support the comparison made by the Mengão executive in his response to Abel Ferreira.

That being the case, the financial gap contradicts the Portuguese coach’s claim of a supposed market advantage for Rubro-Negro. Even so, despite the lower investment, Flamengo remain ahead of Palmeiras in the Brasileirão table. The recent record therefore strengthens the argument defended by José Boto in his latest remarks.

Why did Boto mention Vitor Roque, Andreas Pereira and Gustavo Gómez in his response?

José Boto used examples of Palmeiras players themselves to challenge the idea that only Flamengo turn to major European clubs. The executive therefore mentioned Vitor Roque, who had played for Barcelona before joining the São Paulo club. In this way, the football director tried to balance the debate about the origins of the two squads, also mentioning Andreas Pereira, who played for Manchester United.

When did Flamengo take over the top spot in the Brasileirão?

Flamengo took over the top of the Brasileirão table after beating Remo 1-0, with a goal from Samuel Lino. The Rio side therefore reached 54 points, against Palmeiras’ 53, leaving them in second place after the draw with Botafogo. The direct title race between the two clubs thus remains intense in the closing stretch of the competition.

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