Palmeiras-Vasco ties blow up in pitch photo, Flamengo dragged in | OneFootball

The relationship between Palmeiras and Vasco is laid bare in a photo of Leila Pereira with her stepson on the pitch before the leader’s win. Understand

The relationship between Palmeiras and Vasco gained a new chapter this Sunday: Leila Pereira’s stepson posed in a Vasco shirt alongside the Palmeiras president minutes before the league leader beat the second-from-bottom side and opened a 6-point gap over Flamengo.

Palmeiras beat Vasco 4-1 this Sunday (23) at Nubank Parque and moved 6 points clear of Flamengo, who had thrown away a comeback against Cruzeiro on Saturday (22). But anyone who waited for kickoff to see the image of the day waited too long. It happened before then: Marcos Lamacchia, Leila Pereira’s stepson and a declared suitor of Vasco’s SAF, walked across the pitch wearing a Vasco shirt and posed smiling next to his stepmother, the Palmeiras president, with Vasco directors also joining the shot. The relationship between Palmeiras and Vasco, which everyone had been whispering about, is now posing for pictures.

The goals all came in the second half. First, Flaco López scored after a pass from Allan. Then Vitor Roque doubled the lead from the penalty spot, and Mauricio made it three with an assist from Andreas Pereira. Finally, the Argentine striker scored after a move involving Jhon Arias. Facundo Colidio then found the net for Vasco.

The family atmosphere the Brasileirão would rather not talk about

For those who missed the previous episodes of this soap opera, here’s the juicy summary. Crefisa, the bank owned by Leila’s family, lent Vasco R$80 million while the club was under judicial reorganization, taking shares in the SAF as collateral. The president’s stepson is negotiating the purchase of that same SAF, while the Rio club is going to court in search of another R$150 million. Last week, a video of Leila flashing a prime-time-soap-opera smile when she spotted a Vasco crest in Paraguay went viral. And she herself has already said it: her father was a Vasco supporter, her brothers are Vasco supporters. Let’s be honest, for a relationship everyone swears is strictly professional, there’s a lot of intimacy in the photos.

On the pitch, the obvious result. Off it, the embarrassment

Let it be noted: no one is questioning the 90 minutes. A leader with 48 points beat a second-from-bottom team that hasn’t won in the Brasileirão since May. It’s the most predictable scoreline of the round. What is being questioned is what the CBF accepts around it. Creditor and debtor competing for the same points, while one side’s family is negotiating the other side’s corporate future. In any serious league, today’s photo would trigger proceedings over conflict of interest. In Brazil, it drives engagement.

And the silence from the authorities is the loudest part of the story. Flamengo has already publicly demanded explanations and heard from Leila that the one doing the negotiating is her stepson, someone “completely independent.” Independent enough to pose with her on the pitch, wearing a Vasco shirt, on the day the two clubs face each other. If that is distance, imagine closeness.

The bill Flamengo is left to pay

In the end, the relationship between Palmeiras and Vasco earned the leader the easiest three points of the round, and Flamengo the bitterest bill. The gap is 6 points, and Sunday’s derby against Botafogo has stopped being an opportunity and become an obligation. The comeback squandered at the Mineirão proved costly. And apparently, in this league even the demands come with bank interest.

Author’s view

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