Leila Pereira backs Abel Ferreira, defends Paulinho deal at Palmeiras

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·9 September 2026

Leila Pereira backs Abel Ferreira, defends Paulinho deal at Palmeiras

The president of Palmeiras, Leila Pereira, reaffirmed this Wednesday (9) her confidence in the work of head coach Abel Ferreira and in the squad. The statement comes amid a period of pressure on the team, which lost the lead in the Brazilian Championship to Flamengo and has been the target of criticism over its recent performances.

In an interview with ESPN, Leila said she still trusts the coach and his staff, but acknowledged that Palmeiras needs to show improvement.

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The Palmeiras president will never lose her composure. The players know how I feel, when I’m satisfied, when I’m not, and when we need to improve.

She then was emphatic when speaking about Abel Ferreira.

Obviously, I continue to trust Abel’s work and the staff’s work in an unquestionable way. I see it every day, and everyone is aware that we can deliver more. So we have to keep working. We lost the lead—are we satisfied? Of course not. What can be done? Keep working, with the certainty that we have the potential to improve even more. It will be like this until my last day in office, in December 2027.

Leila plays down Abel’s remarks

The president also commented on the reaction to Abel Ferreira’s latest interview, which drew criticism from Palmeiras fans. The coach had asked Palmeiras supporters to “enjoy” the winning run the club has built over the last five years.

Leila downplayed the remarks and said she understood the Portuguese coach’s intention.

Whenever Abel speaks, whenever the president speaks, it always becomes a controversy. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with what Abel said. I understood perfectly when he told the fans to enjoy it. What he meant was that over these five years we celebrated many important things. We came very close last year, and that has to be valued too.

The executive also said that neither she nor Abel see themselves as being above the institution.

At no point—and sometimes I get criticized a lot for this—do I think I’m bigger than the club. I have never placed myself above the institution. Abel hasn’t either. Institutions are made by men and women. Achievements belong to the people, extraordinary or not, behind the institution. The institution doesn’t think, it doesn’t have arms, it doesn’t have legs. There is a human being there. I value the professionals at Palmeiras very highly, the ones who made Palmeiras’ history. Here, we have never placed ourselves above the institution. We have put ourselves to work so that the institution can be the giant it is today.

Leila defends Paulinho signing

Another topic addressed in the interview was the signing of Paulinho. The forward joined Palmeiras surrounded by concerns related to his physical condition and underwent another leg surgery after being signed by the club.

Leila denied any regret over the signing and again explained a statement she made in 2024, before the player’s arrival, when she said Palmeiras could not function as a “medical department.”

When I made that statement, I was not referring to Neymar, because there was never any interest from Neymar in coming to Palmeiras and there was never any interest from Palmeiras in signing Neymar. He is a player I respect for his past, but I do not regret that statement in the slightest.

According to the president, Palmeiras already knew Paulinho would need to complete his recovery at the club, but did not foresee the need for another surgery.

When we signed Paulinho, a young player, we knew he would have to continue treatment from his surgery at the Academia de Futebol. We did not know that after some time he would need another surgery. Our doctors believed the surgery had been successful. But we knew he would finish his recovery at the Academia de Futebol.

Leila also stressed that the forward produced results when he was on the pitch and said she believes he will still play an important role at Palmeiras.

Because he is young and talented, we made the signing. He helped in the matches he played, there was the Club World Cup, and then we decided he would need a second surgery, and now he is 100%. The issue is an injury that could have happened to any other player. Do I regret signing Paulinho? Not at all. I am sure he will still help Palmeiras a lot.

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