Flamengo president on Leila ties after Libertadores win | OneFootball

After Flamengo's 1-0 victory over Palmeiras this Saturday in the Libertadores final, President Luiz Eduardo Baptista opened up about his relationship with Leila Pereira, the head of Verdão.

The Flamengo representative stated that he has no issues with the Palmeiras leader and highlighted that the rivalry between the clubs benefits Brazilian football.

“I never had a bad relationship with Leila. I love my children passionately, and yet we don't agree on everything. Of course, we will clash in football. Sometimes you agree on 28 things and not on two. Then the focus becomes those two. Palmeiras is a strong and respectable institution,” he told Espn.

“It was exceptional to have a final of this magnitude. It's the seventh consecutive Libertadores won by a Brazilian team. Leila and Galiotte celebrated when they beat us. This feeds our soul and makes us want to grow,” he added.

The Clashes Between Bap and Leila

Non-signature Against Racism

The tension between the boards began in March of this year. The Libra clubs sent a manifesto, led by Palmeiras, to Conmebol condemning cases of racism in South American competitions. Among the group members, only Flamengo did not sign the note.

At the time, the club stated that institutional relations with Conmebol should be conducted by the CBF and not by the clubs, and therefore did not sign the manifesto. The Rubro-Negro reaffirmed its commitment to combating racism.

TV Rights

A new chapter involving Flamengo and Libra occurred at the end of September. The Rio de Janeiro board obtained an injunction from the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice (TJ-RJ) that blocked the transfer of R$ 77 million from a portion of the Brazilian Championship's broadcasting rights.

The R$ 77 million amount blocked by Flamengo was to be distributed among the other Libra clubs, which include 12 other teams besides Palmeiras: ABC, Atlético-MG, Bahia, Bragantino, Grêmio, Guarani, Paysandu, Remo, Vitória, Sampaio Corrêa, Santos, and São Paulo.

Palmeiras quickly opposed the decision of Flamengo's leadership. The club described the Rubro-Negro management's stance as “arrogant and harmful” and recalled Flamengo's decision not to sign the manifesto against racism.

“Flamengo Should Play Alone”

Three days after Palmeiras' statement condemning Flamengo's action, Leila Pereira made harsh criticisms of the rival board and suggested creating a league without the Gávea team.

“My suggestion would be to create another league excluding Flamengo. I think Flamengo should play alone. No club is bigger than Brazilian football. Palmeiras doesn't play alone, Flamengo doesn't play alone. Only if they [Flamengo] want to play against their under-20 team, you know?” she remarked.

“So, I think it would be nice for us to form a new league excluding Flamengo, and Flamengo can play with themselves. I want to see the audience they will have. It's very difficult for managers with this mentality. This doesn't enhance Brazilian football in any way,” Leila Pereira concluded.

Subsequently, the Palmeiras board took legal action against the rival due to the injunction.

Bap Provokes Leila

In October, Flamengo presented its version of the dispute with Libra, and Bap took the opportunity to provoke Leila Pereira and question the loan from Crefisa to Vasco.

“I have no doubt that there is a very clear agenda. We are talking about this Libra issue and the company she presides over lent money to Vasco's SAF. Who here has ever borrowed money from a financial institution in their life? Does any bank ask for shares of a business that is not doing well or guarantees of real assets? Your house, your boat, your apartment. Who asks for SAF shares if it can't be paid?” said the president.

Leila responded to Bap's statement and denied that she was buying Vasco. The Palmeiras leader also recalled a comment from the Flamengo representative in 2014, when he was still heading the company Sky. At the time, he claimed he could buy the Netflix, the American streaming platform.

“Regarding President Bap's insinuation about the rumor that I am buying Vasco, he can rest assured. I am not buying Vasco. In fact, I am not buying either Vasco or Netflix,” Leila Pereira joked.

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