Rui Costa on Luiz Gustavo’s comments: “Tough for a player with his history” | OneFootball

The executive director of São Paulo's football department, Rui Costa, commented on Luiz Gustavo's strong statements following the 6-0 defeat to Fluminense this Thursday at Maracanã, during the 36th round of the Brazilian Championship.

The experienced midfielder adopted a highly critical tone, indirectly addressing the club's management in recent years, and one of the main figures responsible for the direction São Paulo has taken in recent years responded.

“He is right in expressing his indignation, that's the only reason I can give him. After this disgraceful result, which does not reflect the club's history or the work we strive to do every day, he expressed his indignation. It's difficult for an athlete with his history, he made that clear in the locker room as well, we were all marked by the result. We are all responsible, and we all must have the ability to understand what leads an athlete to a result like this and then act rationally within what we need to intervene now,” said Rui Costa.

This Thursday's 6-0 was the biggest defeat São Paulo has ever suffered in the history of their encounters with Fluminense. Until then, the record was held by the 7-2 in 1960.

“There is nothing that justifies today's result, nothing that justifies the way the team behaved, and I repeat, we only have to apologize to the fans, say sorry, and get back on track with a lot of work, with a lot of commitment, because there is no other way,” he continued.

Rui Costa also commented on the atmosphere in São Paulo's locker room after the crushing defeat in Rio de Janeiro.

“I came here because it is essential to apologize to our fans. What happened today is not something Crespo has to address, we have to be here speaking. Apologizing to the fans many times, as many as necessary, because it's a very tough moment for all of us. The locker room is in absolute silence, respectful, silence because of the shame we went through today here and the shame we caused our fans. São Paulo fans don't deserve this, that's why I'm here. There was no resignation request. My presence here is simply out of respect for the fans,” he concluded.

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