Corinthians chief admits tension, urges focus on Libertadores tie | OneFootball

Corinthians heads into the clash with Estudiantes this Wednesday (9) surrounded by off-field issues. The match, played in Argentina, opens the quarterfinal series of the Copa Libertadores, but the club’s financial situation has once again raised concern behind the scenes.

Timão was supposed to have paid salaries last Friday (4). However, according to information released by ESPN, the amounts were not paid on the scheduled date. The board set Tuesday (8) as the new deadline, but by the start of this Wednesday (9), the deposits still had not been made.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

The issue does not affect all sectors of the club in the same way. According to reports from sources heard by the outlet, employees working at CT Joaquim Grava are up to date with their payments. In the football department, however, the situation is different. There are delays involving salaries registered under Brazil’s CLT labor system, as well as pending image rights payments and bonus amounts related to prizes.

Amid this scenario, football executive Marcelo Paz acknowledged that Corinthians is going through a delicate moment. In an exclusive interview with ESPN, the executive described the current atmosphere as one of “tension” and stressed the need for the squad to put recent problems aside in order to face the continental knockout stage.

Corinthians comes into the match against the Argentines after three straight defeats. For Paz, however, the recent run cannot interfere with the preparation for a major match like this Wednesday’s.

“We are indeed on a bad run, there’s no denying it. We would like to have more points, we had the conditions to do so, but even if we were coming off four wins, the focus for today’s game should be the same. The Libertadores is a different story. What happened before, whether good or bad, cannot change our concentration,” the executive said.

The executive also used the campaign built so far in the Libertadores to reinforce confidence in the work being done. Timão finished the group stage in first place and reaches the quarterfinals with just one loss in eight matches played.

“(In the Libertadores) We played eight matches and only lost one. We conceded only four goals, an average of 0.5 goals per game. A solid campaign, we finished first in the group stage. We are deciding at home because we deserve it, we earned that on the field,” he continued.

For Marcelo Paz, the moment requires the squad to treat the Libertadores as a competition of its own. The executive noted that Corinthians is just a few steps away from a possible semifinal and highlighted the group’s focus on getting a favorable result in Argentina.

“It’s a different competition, and we are five games away from a great dream. We know that, the players know that, Diniz knows that... We are super focused, 100% thinking about Estudiantes, trying to play the best match possible and get a good result to settle it at Neo Química Arena on Wednesday,” the executive said.

In addition to commenting on the preparation for the clash, Paz explained how the club tries to shield the players from the news and difficulties surrounding Corinthians. The idea, according to him, is to prevent outside issues from hurting performances on the field.

“In here, we have to stay strong. Strong heads, strong mentality. Knowing it’s a great opponent and that it’s an extremely hard-fought match. With each round that passes, it gets tighter. But I think they also look at us and think: ‘There are plenty of good players over there,’” he pointed out.

The director also analyzed Estudiantes and highlighted the traits that make the opponent dangerous in a knockout tie. In his view, Corinthians will need to respond to the Argentines’ intensity and not be intimidated playing away from home.

“(Estudiantes) is a strong, competitive team that knows how to compete in this knockout format. Today the environment is theirs, but on the field we will give our all, we will fight, we will go at them hard, battle, and face them head-on to play a great game and take a good result back to Neo Química,” he continued.

Paz ended the interview by reinforcing Corinthians’ confidence for the first quarterfinal meeting. The executive once again called for total concentration on the match against Estudiantes and highlighted the team’s preparation for the challenge.

“It’s a great clash, against a great team, and we feel very prepared. Like I said: ‘Flip the switch and focus on this game to take a good result,’” Marcelo Paz concluded.

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