“No justification for this act”, Rui Costa tells outlet on Arboleda | OneFootball

São Paulo football executive Rui Costa broke his silence and spoke about the disappearance of center-back Arboleda, who is not expected to play for the club again after once more missing training this Monday (6).

Speaking to Globo Esporte, Costa confirmed that the board has still not been able to make contact with the Ecuadorian, but avoided talking about punishments and measures being decided against the player over his behavior.

“There is no justification whatsoever for this act. It is disrespectful to the group, to the board, and to the São Paulo fans. We are trying to reestablish contact with the player to resolve the case. In any event, we have our Copa Sudamericana debut this Tuesday (7), and the players are fully focused on this next challenge,” he said.

“Arboleda was called up for the match against Cruzeiro, did not show up at the Barra Funda training center and, since then, we have had no official position from the player. We have a group of committed players who know that we have a run of games over the next two months that could define our objectives for the season,” Costa added.

Signed in 2017, Arboleda is the longest-serving player in the Tricolor squad. In 2024, he renewed his contract with the club through the end of 2027. In total, he has made 362 appearances and scored 24 goals.

This season, he has played 11 matches, eight of them as a starter. In three other games, he was included in the squad but did not come off the bench.

THE CASE

AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR learned in the early hours of this Sunday (5) that the trigger for the internal crisis involving Arboleda was a warning given by Rui Costa and Rafinha to the center-back after Friday’s (3) training session regarding social media posts complaining about not being used regularly by coach Roger Machado. (Click here to read our opinion on the matter)

The report managed to capture one of these messages (see below), but according to accounts from São Paulo officials, there were at least three others, deleted by the player, in addition to comments endorsing criticism of the coach made by fans in the replies.

Arboleda was called in for a private conversation after training at the Barra Funda training center and was told to stop. Roger did not take part in the meeting, nor did he bring the matter to the board. “To be honest, he didn’t even know. They preferred to deal with it without involving him,” a source heard by AMT said.

The Ecuadorian’s reaction to the dressing-down was as bad as it could have been. Arboleda cleared out his locker from his room at the training center camp and has been unreachable ever since. Messages came through his staff. To journalists, the player’s representatives leaked the information that he wanted to be transferred because he was not being used regularly by the coach.

That was still on Friday. On Saturday (4), after missing the squad’s reporting time for lunch and pre-match concentration ahead of the clash with Cruzeiro at the training center, the player’s family and friends did not answer even other club players. Only hours before the match did one of his agents say that Arboleda was in Ecuador and no longer wanted to play for São Paulo. Club officials heard by the report doubt he could have traveled in such a short time. Resigned, the coach removed him from the matchday squad.

A TROUBLED RELATIONSHIP?

Asked about the matter at the press conference after the rout over the Minas Gerais side, Roger played down the issue and was direct. He said the case had “gotten out of his hands” and had been “handed over to the board.”

In truth, internally, even among the players, Arboleda’s anger at Roger is seen as something new. At least to the point it reached.

Three sources consulted by the report say the coach was cordial in explaining upon his arrival that Alan Franco and Sabino would form the starting center-back pairing (something that had already been happening under his predecessor Hernán Crespo).

Roger had also reportedly gathered all the squad’s defenders before the match against Internacional, in which Alan Franco would serve an automatic suspension, and explained the tactical reasons for choosing Rafael Tolói.

“Arboleda had been training very poorly, with physical problems. And even so, the coaching staff did not expose the issue to the group,” one person heard said.

The Ecuadorian is said to have felt bothered by hearing that playing out from the back was one of the reasons for choosing the veteran, something he considers “one of his strengths,” according to one of the sources consulted.

“It was disrespectful. Tolói may not have the same ten years at São Paulo, of course, but he’s a guy with European experience, a natural leader. A guy even Luciano stops and listens to. And all this time he stayed on the bench without complaining. It came across very badly,” a player heard by the report said.

One of Arboleda’s controversial posts

CONSEQUENCES

Perhaps the fact that he has been at the club for ten years explains much of Arboleda’s attitude. With 362 matches played, he is the player in the current group who has worn the Tricolor shirt the most. And since Julio Casares’ departure and Rui Costa’s rise, as well as Rafinha’s arrival, the Ecuadorian has come under greater pressure over his professionalism.

If under the Casares administration issues such as delays in reporting back for preseason, using the club as collateral for bank loans, and even hinting at a move to rivals Corinthians while seeking a salary increase were downplayed, this time they were not. The center-back began to be held more accountable.

Two episodes stand out. In February, the player reportedly showed up to travel by bus without wearing the club uniform, delaying the scheduled departure so he could change. And last month, the trip to Ecuador, where he had been given leave to resolve personal matters and ended up being spotted enjoying a friendly involving Messi’s team in his country. Rui Costa and Rafinha believe he went to lobby for a call-up to the next World Cup. Even so, those episodes were not pursued further.

This time, the assessment is that Arboleda crossed every line. And the tone with his agents was harsh. The promise is that he will become an example of how indiscipline is not tolerated. He will be fined and, most likely, will not play for the club again. The squad leaders were informed of the initial decision in the Morumbi locker room right after the match against Cruzeiro. The amount of the fine will be discussed with president Harry Massis Júnior.

On Roger’s side, there are no major concerns over Arboleda’s departure. The coach believes the position is well covered. On top of that, there are academy names such as Igão and Isaac, as well as Matheus Belém, who returned from a loan spell in Santa Catarina football with praise and has been winning over the coach in daily activities at the training center.

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