Belmonte lists titles in farewell, Rafinha backs him, future unclear | OneFootball

It took almost an entire day, but Carlos Belmonte used his social media on Friday night (28th) to comment on his departure from the position of São Paulo’s football director.

It was already known that the executive had lost his position since the morning, when a meeting took place at the Barra Funda training center with president Julio Casares, but the club’s official announcement came at the beginning of the afternoon.

In addition to Belmonte, São Paulo’s football department is also losing assistants Nelson Marques Ferreira, known as Nelsinho, and Fernando Bracalle Ambrogi, known as Chapecó. In an official statement, the Morumbi club reported that executive Rui Costa and coordinator Muricy Ramalho will remain in charge of football “and organizing the planning for 2026.”

“Today I end a five-year cycle with three titles and five finals at the helm of São Paulo’s football. I am grateful to every staff member at the training center and to all the athletes who moved me today during my farewell. I return to my family, who have always been with me more than I have been able to be with them,” Belmonte emphasized.

The post received an emotional comment from Rafinha. The former right-back and team captain showed his support for the executive. “Thank you, Belmonte, you always put São Paulo above everything and I am proof of that… Good luck in your next challenge,” he wrote.

This morning, Belmonte spoke with the players and said goodbye to each of them, as well as to staff members. The former director is now expected to formalize his alliance with the opposition and run in next year’s presidential election against the candidate nominated to succeed Julio Casares.

Regarding the electoral race, however, the executive left an enigmatic message. “The future belongs to God,” he philosophized.

We have already revealed here previously that at the club’s moment of greatest internal crisis, after elimination from the Copa Libertadores and without being able to string together a series of victories in the Brazilian Championship, Casares was heavily pressured by allies for changes to take place at Barra Funda. And here you can read that the main one was Belmonte’s departure.

There are two problems, though. The first, more obvious one, Casares did not want to strengthen the opposition by firing the football director who was once his great ally. The other, more practical, is the lack of a name to replace him without causing further friction within his support base. Professional football is São Paulo’s flagship. It is the most prestigious position. And whoever is chosen would be seen as an obvious sign of the president’s choice for his succession.

The solution, then, for the indecisive president, who does not want to displease either side, would be to appoint Costa, an outsider, which would also help him give a more professional air to his farewell from the seat of power—crucial to slightly repair his tarnished image this year, when he began to be insulted in the stands.

Other than that, the impact would be, let’s say, minor. Yes, Belmonte may be cursed by fans (and even by directors), but he gained status in his five years in the role, being respected by players, agents, and even rival executives. Roughly speaking, Costa’s appointment would represent continuity.

On the other hand, Carlomagno’s entry into the daily life at the training center had exactly the intention of increasing loyalty at Barra Funda, a terrain that became more treacherous for the ‘staunch Casares supporters,’ with Belmonte increasingly distant from the president. But the move backfired. The superintendent was expected to come in kicking down the door. But he found an environment controlled by Belmonte, surrounded by people who had become loyal to the director. From implicit rivalry, complicity arose between the two. And came the internal announcement from the chosen one that his plans do not include running for succession.

The report has already revealed previously that Casares and Belmonte have not been speaking the same language for about three months, since Belmonte was insulted by a club director in a message leaked through an app. Despite the atmosphere of complicity that Casares tried to convey in a press conference at the Barra Funda training center, things have only gotten more complicated since then, after the football director became certain he would not be nominated to run for the presidency at the end of next year. And he emphasized that his political group is against the investment fund project (FIP) for the youth categories in Cotia.

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