Rafinha: Not focused on future, backs São Paulo to bounce back | OneFootball

Rafinha was introduced as the sporting manager of São Paulo on Tuesday afternoon at SuperCT, during a press conference. The new Tricolor executive joins the club with the main role of establishing a link between the coaching staff, players, and the board of directors.

Announced last Monday, Rafinha signed a contract with São Paulo that does not have a set expiration date—in other words, the agreement can be terminated at any time. Given the scenario of presidential elections at the end of this year, the sporting manager was asked about his future at the club, since Harry Massis’s administration only runs until the end of 2026, but he dodged the question and emphasized focusing on the present.

Confidence in Recovery

São Paulo will debut in the Brazilian Championship on Wednesday night, against Flamengo, at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Morumbis.

Rafinha even admitted that Morumbis needs to become São Paulo’s fortress again. In the current season, the Tricolor has one win and one loss as hosts. In the executive’s view, the team needs to regain the fans’ confidence to make the stadium a feared venue for rivals once again.

“It’s too early to diagnose what’s happening, but football has no secrets. We know what the player needs. Brazilian players are different from the culture of players elsewhere in the world. That confidence will be restored. I know all of them. Sometimes a loss hurts, it’s costly in a derby. Now, São Paulo is very strong at home. Morumbis cannot be just another ordinary stadium for those who come to play against São Paulo. It never was. It can’t be like that. São Paulo, with the fans at home, is very strong. That’s how it has to be,” he said.

“The opponent has to think very carefully before coming to play here, it’s an environment that has always favored us. Morumbis has to go back to being the stadium that no rival wants to play in, that has to be the mindset: to restore the fans’ confidence to go to the stadium and support. And the players, to change their attitude, to show the fans that things will be different. Whatever I can do to help recover that confidence, that commitment, that attitude, that desire to play, I will do,” he concluded.

In addition to ‘building bridges’ between the parties involved in the day-to-day football operations, Rafinha will also be responsible for shielding SuperCT from the external chaos surrounding São Paulo.

Rafinha’s Career

This will be Rafinha’s first experience as a professional in a football front office. The former full-back recently retired from the pitch and had been working as a commentator, but played for major clubs throughout his career, such as Coritiba, Genoa, Bayern Munich, Schalke 04, Flamengo, Olympiacos, Grêmio, and São Paulo.

Rafinha’s time at São Paulo was marked by leadership and titles. The former full-back was the team captain in the Copa do Brasil triumph in 2023 and the Supercopa do Brasil in 2024. He wore the club’s colors between 2022 and 2024, when he decided to return to Coritiba and end his career at the club that developed him.

In 117 matches for São Paulo, Rafinha scored one goal and provided five assists. Now, he returns to the club to help put things in order and take on a new role, this time off the field.

Upcoming São Paulo Matches

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