São Paulo set to appoint Rafinha as football director after Muricy exit | OneFootball

By Marina Bufon, Paulo Sérgio, and Thais Bueno

São Paulo acted quickly in the market following the departure of Muricy Ramalho, who resigned from his position as the club's football coordinator this Friday. The Tricolor has arranged an agreement for the arrival of Rafinha, a former player who had been working as a commentator.

Paulo Sérgio, a commentator for TV Gazeta, was with Rafinha in recent days in Germany and revealed that the former right-back received several contacts from São Paulo through phone calls. After a few days in Europe, the former Tricolor player is already in Brazil.

The report also found that Rafinha is highly regarded by the Tricolor squad. The name of the former right-back is also pleasing to the club's new president, Harry Massis, who admires the respected and leadership profile of the now commentator.

(Photo: Rubens Chiri / Saopaulofc)

Rafinha, therefore, is expected to return to São Paulo, this time to take a position in the football management. It is worth remembering that the former right-back played for the Tricolor between 2022 and 2024 and won two titles as captain: the Copa do Brasil in 2023 and the Supercopa do Brasil in 2024.

The former player decided to retire from football in July last year after a brief stint with Coritiba.

With the agreement well underway, Rafinha will work alongside Rui Costa, the current football executive at São Paulo. The former right-back will serve as a kind of 'bridge' between the management and the São Paulo squad.

Muricy's Departure

Muricy Ramalho resigned from his position as football coordinator, a role he had held for five years, this Friday. The former coach had been away from activities due to knee surgery and would have to undergo another procedure. Given the situation, he claimed he could no longer continue working and chose to leave the Tricolor.

Shortly after, the decision was made official on the club's social media, which published a letter from Muricy addressed to the São Paulo fans. “The intensity that the position demands and that the greatness of this club deserves is incompatible with what I can offer at this moment. Continuing without being able to give my 100% would not be consistent with the history I have built. I am leaving now to take care of myself, so that I can have quality of life alongside my family, who have sacrificed so much for me,” he wrote.

As a football coordinator, Muricy was directly involved in the rebuilding process of São Paulo. Despite taking on the role during the pandemic, he was involved in assembling the team that won the Paulista Championship in 2021, a title that ended the club's nearly nine-year drought. In the role, the former coach also won the Copa do Brasil in 2023 and the Supercopa in 2024.

Photo: Publicity / Personal Archive / @muricyramalhoreal

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