Massis seeks truce with opposition, vows to pay overdue wages | OneFootball

On his first day as the new president of São Paulo this Saturday (17), Harry Massis Júnior visited the Barra Funda training center for his first direct conversation with the São Paulo squad and coaching staff since taking office, following the approval of Júlio Casares’ impeachment by the Deliberative Council. The meeting was private, held inside the facility shortly before the team’s final training session ahead of the derby against Corinthians this Sunday (18) in Itaquera, for the Paulista Championship.

The main purpose of the visit was to convey a sense of calm to those who work daily at the training center, an environment from which Massis had been relatively distant until now.

As soon as his ‘promotion’ was made official, he acknowledged this distance and stated that he would begin to familiarize himself with the club. “Everyone knows we are going through a difficult time,” he said, commenting on the political situation that led to Casares’ removal.

To the players, Massis reportedly described the political moment as “unpleasant,” but stated that he would strive to do his best for Tricolor while he remains in charge. According to our sources, he also said that after reviewing the club’s finances, he would settle all outstanding issues and would follow the same sporting plan as his predecessor, who requested winning the Paulistão for financial and motivational reasons.

Although he has been less present in the club’s political routine, the interim president is not entirely unfamiliar with football. He was part of the delegation in some matches during Casares’ administration, including recent games when the then-president was absent.

Additionally, in June 2019, about a year and a half before becoming vice president, he was one of four signatories of a document requesting then-president Carlos Augusto de Barros e Silva, known as Leco, to make a “firm and swift” change in the club’s football operations during a time of crisis. He also attended a meeting at Morumbi to discuss the matter.

If he does confirm his presence today at Itaquerão, as seems likely, Massis will be the first president to attend a São Paulo match since November 20, as Casares did not attend any of the last six fixtures.

There are two coincidences in this context: the last match with the president present was also against Corinthians, in Itaquera, just like the first game after Casares’ election, although before he officially took office.

While Casares will still have his future decided by the club members within a month, Massis takes over provisionally in a delicate situation. The idea is to lead a ‘pacifying administration’, aimed at a fresh start.

Unlike Casares, Massis maintains a cordial relationship with the opposition and intends to invite some of them for talks. It is still unclear how this will affect the scenario in which changes in some executive directorates are expected. The report found that these changes should not be announced until at least Monday (19), as the club’s immediate priority is the derby.

The new president spent the day approached by allies, sycophants, and well-intentioned people offering to help, but maintained a certain tone of neutrality and refused to discuss internal politics on his first day as president. In the late afternoon, he went to Morumbi after spending most of Saturday at the training center and met with specific departments, such as communications and marketing. However, the discussion was limited to aligning new strategies to be adopted by the club on its social media and website, steering clear of sensitive topics such as cuts and structural changes.

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