Fernando Diniz and directors watch Corinthians U20 at Fazendinha | OneFootball

Throughout the afternoon this Thursday (25), Corinthians faced Flamengo at Alfredo Schürig Stadium, Fazendinha, in a match valid for the 18th and penultimate round of the 2026 Brazilian Under-20 Championship qualifying stage, and drew 2-2. Timãozinho’s goals were scored by center-back Yago Melo and center-back Nicolas Araújo. The draw caused the Corinthians side to drop from sixth to eighth place with 29 points — eight wins, five draws, and five losses — with 31 goals scored and 24 conceded.

Watching the match from one of the suites at Fazendinha were the head coach of the professional team, Fernando Diniz, and members of Timão’s football department, such as executive Marcelo Paz, manager Júlio de César, and administrative coordinator Thiago Ayres. The presence of these professionals highlights the importance of the integration and scouting processes between the youth academy and the first team.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

Corinthians’ professional squad returned to CT Dr. Joaquim Grava this Thursday due to the vacation period during the World Cup break, which takes place between June 11 and July 19 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The coaching staff, directors, and employees returned to the training center last Wednesday (24). The last time Timão took the field was on May 30, when they came from behind to beat Grêmio 3-1 away from home in the 18th round of the Brasileirão.

Officially, the club from Parque São Jorge will return to the pitch only on July 23 at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time), when it will face Remo at Neo Química Arena in the final round of the first half of the Brasileirão. At the moment, Alvinegro sits in tenth place with 24 points — six wins, six draws, and six losses — with 18 goals scored and 19 conceded. Before that, however, it will play a friendly against FC Cascavel at Estádio Municipal Arnaldo Busato, in Cascavel, Paraná, at 4 p.m. on July 12.

In addition to the Brasileirão, Corinthians also has knockout-stage clashes ahead. In the Copa do Brasil, the club from Parque São Jorge will face Internacional in a two-legged Round of 16 tie. The first match will take place on August 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Beira-Rio. The second, meanwhile, will be four days later at 8 p.m. at Neo Química Arena. It is worth remembering that Corinthians has four titles in the tournament and is the current champion, having beaten Vasco last year at the Maracanã.

In the Conmebol Libertadores, the opponent will be Rosario Central of Argentina. The first match will take place on August 13 at 9:30 p.m. in Buenos Aires. The second match is scheduled for exactly one week later, at the same time, at Neo Química Arena. If it advances, the quarterfinal opponent will be Estudiantes of Argentina or Universidad Católica of Chile.

Football manager Júlio César spoke with Central do Timão

After serving as an executive at RB Bragantino, Júlio César was hired by Corinthians in April to join the football department. Developed in Timão’s youth academy and part of major club achievements with the professional squad between 2005 and mid-2014, he gave an interview to the outlet and spoke about how his work at the club has been going so far and about the integration processes with the youth academy.

“I stay very close to the coaching staff, also making that connection with the players and the board. I’m happy, there’s a lot to do, a lot being done. The work doesn’t stop, this integration with the academy here is super important. So there’s a lot ahead that is being carefully planned, and the work continues full steam ahead.”

“My dream when I played here at Corinthians is the same dream they have too, I think the very same doubts and desires. So, I think experience helps a lot. Obviously, this is a day-to-day workplace, and I try to stay close to them, give guidance, talk, be close to the matches too, because it’s important to see that there’s merit in talking to the staff there. So I think it’s work that complements itself — the experience of having already gone through this, helping the boys who are there, and being in touch with the staff.”

In 140 matches for Corinthians, he was part of the title-winning squads in the Brazilian Championship (2005 and 2011), Libertadores (2012), Club World Cup (2012), Paulista Championship (2009 and 2013), Série B (2008), and Recopa Sudamericana (2013).

Check out Júlio César’s post below commenting on the return to training for the professional squad and mentioning the academy:

Week of returning to training with the professional team, and I wanted to share with you a little about my work over the last few days.

1- While observing the academy, I was able to follow some training sessions and some matches, mainly for the Under-17 and Under-20 teams.

2- With the professional team, today we resumed work at the training center. I was here on a few other days as well to monitor some players in recovery* and to get a head start on planning.

3- I also used the period for some study and updates, to rest a little, and to follow World Cup matches. At the Arena, I was able to watch Brazil’s women’s match against the USA.

Let’s keep moving forward with this restart and make it a great second half of the year.

*João Pedro Tchoca (center-back) and Hugo Farias (left-back)

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