It’s happened! Massis caves to pressure, São Paulo sack Rui Costa | OneFootball

São Paulo announced on the afternoon of this Saturday (20) the dismissal of football executive Rui Costa, who had been in the role since 2021.

The club thanked the professional for his years of dedication and wished him success in the next steps of his career, in a very brief statement published on its official website.

The decision to dismiss Rui, the man in charge of signings at Tricolor, was made by president Harry Massis, who gave in to the strong internal pressure placed on the São Paulo football professional and informed the executive of his departure.

For some time now, Rui Costa has been insulted, pressured, and criticized by the fans in all areas, whether in the stadiums, on social media, and even on trips with the squad, both by the organized supporters’ groups and by ordinary fans.

The same president, Massis, who last May guaranteed that he would not dismiss Rui Costa from the executive position despite the strong pressure.

“As long as we remain aligned with the Football Department and convinced of the project we have been working on, Rui Costa and Rafinha will be with us. We know how important it is to return to playing in the Libertadores next season, and we will work toward that,” Massis told UOL.

At the beginning of June, São Paulo’s Ethics Committee formally filed a request for Rui Costa’s dismissal for failing to hand over contracts in an investigation involving former director Carlos Belmonte.

If the president was unable to keep Costa, Rafinha remains in the role. The sporting manager arrived in January, is not at risk, and will be the football department’s ‘strong man’ until a new professional arrives to take charge of Tricolor’s signings. The name should be discussed with coach Dorival Júnior, who is putting ‘his stamp’ on the squad.

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