“There’s no excuse for this act”, Rui Costa tells outlet on Arboleda | OneFootball

São Paulo’s football executive, Rui Costa, broke his silence and spoke about the disappearance of defender 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 been unable to contact 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 a sign of disrespect toward the group, the board, and São Paulo’s 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 word from the player. We have a group of committed players, who know that we have a run of matches 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 São Paulo’s squad. In 2024, he renewed his contract with the club until 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 dressing-down from Rui Costa and Rafinha to the defender after Friday’s training session (3) over 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 screenshot one of those messages (see below), but according to accounts from São Paulo officials, there were at least three others, deleted by the player, as well as 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 it. 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 the matter without involving him,” a source heard by AMT said.

The Ecuadorian’s reaction to the reprimand could not have been worse. Arboleda cleared out his locker room at the training center camp and has been unreachable ever since. Messages have come through his staff. To journalists, the player’s representatives leaked the information that he would like to be transferred because he is not being used regularly by the coach.

That was still on Friday. This Saturday (4), after missing the squad’s report 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 game did one of his agents say that Arboleda is in Ecuador and no longer wants 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 in the press conference after the rout over the team from Minas Gerais, Roger played down the issue and was direct. He said the case “is out of my hands” and “has been handed over to the board.”

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

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

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

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

The Ecuadorian is said to have felt bothered when he heard that building play from the back was one of the reasons for choosing the veteran, something he considers “one of his strong points,” according to one of the sources consulted.

“It was disrespectful. Tolói doesn’t have the same ten years at São Paulo, of course, but he’s a guy with experience in Europe, a natural leader. A guy that even Luciano stops to listen to. And all this time he stayed on the bench without complaining. It came off 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 a lot about Arboleda’s attitude. With 362 appearances, he is the player in the current squad who has worn the São Paulo shirt the most. And since Julio Casares’ departure and Rui Costa’s rise, along with Rafinha’s arrival, the Ecuadorian has been more heavily held accountable for his professionalism.

If during the Casares administration issues such as late returns for preseason, using the club as collateral for bank loans, and even making overtures to rival Corinthians in search of a pay raise were downplayed, this time they were not. The defender began to face more scrutiny.

Two episodes stand out. In February, the player reportedly showed up to travel by bus without wearing the club uniform, delaying the scheduled departure time so he could change. And last month, the trip to Ecuador, where he was cleared to resolve personal matters and ended up being spotted attending an exhibition match of 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 incidents were not taken any further.

This time, the assessment is that Arboleda has 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 game 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 youth prospects such as Igão and Isaac, as well as Matheus Belém, who returned from a loan spell in Santa Catarina football to praise and has been winning over the coach in daily training sessions at the training center.

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