Players back Luiz Gustavo, air frustrations at São Paulo | OneFootball

It took longer than it should have, happened sooner than expected: Carlos Belmonte and his deputies left São Paulo's professional football after the absolute chaos that ensued following the thrashing by Fluminense and, mainly, the explosive statements by Luiz Gustavo at Maracanã after the match.

AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR had already revealed that Belmonte's departure from the Barra Funda training center was decided over a month ago, precisely since President Julio Casares determined Marcio Carlomagno's involvement in daily activities.

However, factors prevented the departure from being imminent. From the former football director's side, it was expected that the leader would take the necessary reins. From Casares's side, besides the obvious political factor of not strengthening the opposition with a name previously loyal to his management, there was the deal with the players. Belmonte had an excellent relationship with the squad. Many of them only trusted the director, described by some athletes interviewed as “a man of character and word.”

As a rule, it was Belmonte who promised the payment of overdue wages and made concessions, such as shortening training camps and allowing family access to training sessions and internal areas of Morumbi on match days.

Well, without the former director, the leadership of the professional football department will fall to Rui Costa and Muricy Ramalho, as Casares himself revealed on Friday (28), in a press conference following Belmonte's official departure.

Costa, the football executive, and Muricy, the coordinator, have a good relationship with the players but not the camaraderie that Belmonte enjoyed.

In the organizational chart that had been in place for the five years of the current management, Costa literally just followed the orders of Belmonte and Casares. Although his ideas were routinely heard, his work was basically to conduct negotiations. Therefore, he rarely spoke in public, unlike in other clubs where he worked.

Muricy, on the other hand, conducted technical evaluations of athletes, produced productivity reports, and was consulted about potential reinforcements or who should be negotiated. Most of his time was spent with the coaches, with whom he discussed performance in matches and assisted in observing opponents alongside Milton Cruz. As a rule, his contact with the players had a much more psychological angle, so to speak, since his office was a real couch for venting, especially for veterans dissatisfied with the bench.

Now, with more powers, the two will have a more active role in the day-to-day to “take care of the environment, listen to the athletes, and keep the locker room balanced.” In other words, they will need to build the same camaraderie with the players that Belmonte had.

And the first mission was not easy. Costa and Muricy had to talk to the entire squad on Friday morning about Luiz Gustavo's statements.

The interview on the Maracanã pitch carried weight because it balanced self-criticism and demands. By admitting the “mess we made today (Thursday),” he defined the players' share, but made it clear that the problem does not end on the field: “It's a club that deserves, once and for all, to start having a direction and a clear plan of what we want from the beginning to the end of a season.” The midfielder also called for responsibility across all hierarchies of the club: “It's time for those in São Paulo who need to show their face to start doing so, to take responsibility. Everyone has responsibility. From top to bottom, so that this club can truly return to being something great in football.”

Casares was surprised by the tone of the criticism, as the perception was that the relationship with the squad was good and that the club and players were in sync.

In the meeting, Costa and Muricy received support from the entire group for Luiz Gustavo. They listened to complaints, aligned expectations, and reduced noise.

The grievances listed by the players were several, such as delays in image rights payments, at a time when the club talks about surpluses and debt reduction, the lack of clear positions on internal problems, the high number of injuries throughout the season — considered abnormal by the group — and even the change of venue for the match against Internacional, which was reportedly communicated to the players only through the press (the match moved from Morumbi to Vila Belmiro, again).

Regarding Márcio Carlomagno, who had been involved in the daily activities of the Barra Funda training center for about a month and a half, his role in planning for the next season does not seem to have changed, as he was already involved with the hope of being “one of the pillars to keep the accounts balanced” next year.

Carlomagno will continue with his functions at Morumbi and even in Cotia, as Casares explained in his press conference, reinforcing the idea that Costa will have more responsibilities regarding football.

In fact, although he is now the one in charge of football, the new director does not have much admiration from the players, who complained about him demanding results in some games without even being integrated into the department yet.

Moreover, Carlomagno is seen by players as an intruder, someone who “pulled the rug from under Belmonte.” The former director, aware of the squad's respect and publicly a friend of his ‘successor,’ made sure to promote him before leaving on Friday, when saying goodbye to the squad, to calm the environment a bit.

Behind the scenes, however, the relationship between Belmonte and Carlomagno, which started well, also began to sour, with disagreements in decision-making.

This had already led to Belmonte's decision not to travel with the delegation anymore, which contributed to the players seeing Carlomagno with more suspicion. In fact, the former director himself confirmed part of the story in an interview with the portal ‘Fórum.’

“Casares appointed an overseer in football, Carlomagno, so I will not subject myself to the ridicule of a delegation with two chiefs. There were already some games that I was not attending,” he explained. The defeat to Fluminense, then, accelerated the decision: “I hoped to finish the season, out of respect for the group of players, with whom I have a great relationship, but the thrashing was the last straw.”

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