How the Copa do Brasil Gre-Nal could shape Luís Castro’s future at Grêmio | OneFootball

Luís Castro enters Gre-Nal 454, a Copa do Brasil tie that decides a semi-finalist, backed by Grêmio’s board yet under heavy fan pressure. Progress on Thursday is viewed as a chance to spark a late-season recovery, while elimination would prompt a review of his tenure.

According to Globo.com, defeat would not automatically cost him the job, the circumstances and a conversation with Castro will guide any decision. After a 0-0 first leg at Beira-Rio, Grêmio advance with a simple home win at the Arena.

He remains the most booed figure at the Arena, discontent intensifying after July’s Sudamericana play-off exit to Bolívar and a seven-match winless run from late May to early August. A poll closed on Wednesday had 61.09% of 2,249 voters rate his work as terrible.

Sunday’s 3-1 over Chapecoense provided respite. After the 23 August defeat by Red Bull Bragantino, football chief Paulo Pelaipe voiced continued trust but said there was a limit. Protests followed and organised groups later met Castro, senior players and Pelaipe.

Castro’s deal has no termination clause, though any dismissal would mean paying the remainder through 2027 at about R$ 2 million per month. The board still see him as central to the rebuild, citing sales of academy products Viery and Mec and the arrivals of Danilo Barbosa and Filip Krovinovic. September image rights were also paid early to lift morale.

The club has also scrapped a permanent backroom team, with Castro working alongside six staff. After the Sudamericana exit he was swiftly retained, with that competition ranked behind the Copa do Brasil and the Brasileirão this season.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”