Ex-Flamengo, Landim reveals unheard chat with Sampaoli after Pedro incident

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Coluna do Fla

·5 de agosto de 2025

Ex-Flamengo, Landim reveals unheard chat with Sampaoli after Pedro incident

Pablo Fernández punched Pedro in the face in a Flamengo vs Atlético-MG game in 2023

Flamengo's number 9, Pedro, has faced difficult situations during his six years with the team. One of these cases was the aggression he suffered from Pablo Fernández, a physical trainer who worked with former Flamengo coach Jorge Sampaoli. At the time, Rodolfo Landim, the club's president, recalled the incident and revealed his conversation with the Argentine coach.

🎙️ Rodolfo Landim, ex-presidente do Flamengo, conta bastidores da briga de Pedro e Pablo Fernández, preparador físico de Jorge Sampaoli: 🗣️ "Fui ter uma conversa com o Sampaoli para entender como é que tinha sido aquilo. A conversa era para ele entender que esse cara tinha que
– martes, 5 de agosto de 2025

Then Bruno Spindel called me and told me what had happened. I said, wow. And then there was an administrative problem to solve. Because Pedro wanted to file a complaint and he had to file a complaint. Then, after a while, I had a conversation with Sampaoli to understand what had happened, how it had reached the point of physical aggression. The conversation with Sampaoli was going to be: "Son, you have to understand that this guy needs to leave. If this guy doesn't leave…". But this guy is very close to him, you know? And there, he wanted to stay and said he understood that he was going to solve the problem. But like a broken crystal, the atmosphere was tense for me. But it wasn't him who did it. So, were you backing this guy who did it? No. But I was very concerned about how he was going to behave, because the guy was very close to him. He had worked with him his whole life, his son worked on the team, you know? So, he guaranteed me at the time that it was a regrettable event, but I think we couldn't reestablish that, " said Landim, during an interview on the Penido's Podcast.

HOW DID THE SITUATION BETWEEN PEDRO AND PABLO FERNÁNDEZ OCCUR?

In Flamengo's victory over Atlético-MG by 2-1, in July 2023, Pedro was assaulted by Pablo Fernández, Jorge Sampaoli's physical trainer at the time, for allegedly 'abandoning' the warm-up on the sidelines. The incident occurred after the final whistle, in the locker room of the Arena Independência.

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Shortly after being assaulted, Pedro went to the police station to file a complaint against Pablo. Meanwhile, Flamengo acted behind the scenes and fired Sampaoli's physical trainer. However, months after the incident, in September, the Argentine coach also left the Rubro-Negro.

HOW IS PEDRO'S Situation AT FLAMENGO?

After all the chaos, Pedro managed to turn things around and became one of the main players for Flamengo in recent seasons. At the moment, the number 9 is trying to establish himself as an absolute starter on Filipe Luís' team, after returning from a serious injury to his left knee.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO'S NEXT GAME?

With Pedro available, Flamengo returns to the field on Wednesday (06) to face Atlético-MG. The match will take place at 19h (Brasília time) at the Arena MRV, in the return leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16. As tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla will provide the best coverage on the internet, through YouTube, the website, and social media.

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