Palmeiras chief Leila on Filipe Luís axing: “Gross disrespect” | OneFootball

The president of Palmeiras, Leila Pereira, commented on the dismissal of coach Filipe Luís, former Flamengo, which took place in the early hours of last Tuesday. Leila said she avoids giving opinions on the work of other clubs, but pointed out a “lack of respect” in the way the coach was let go by the Rio de Janeiro team.

“I don’t like to question or give opinions about decisions made by other clubs. I make decisions at Palmeiras, and the president is always the one who has the final say. If it weren’t like that, I wouldn’t want to be president. That’s my stance. I’ve seen several clubs do these things. I think it’s an absurd lack of respect to dismiss any employee in the heat of the moment, at 1 a.m., 2 a.m.,” she stated.

“That has never happened here, in fact, because I have never fired and I hope I never have to fire our coach. In my opinion, he remains the best coach in Palmeiras’ history. I’m fortunate in that regard. But, if any problem were to occur, I would never do that after a game. Is it so hard to wait until the next day, to wait and talk? That’s it,” she continued.

Leila’s Post

On Tuesday afternoon, Leila Pereira posted a photo at the Football Academy and wrote in the caption that Palmeiras “offers peace of mind for professionals to work,” which was seen by fans as a subtle jab at Flamengo.

The Rubro-Negro board announced Filipe Luís’s departure after an 8-0 thrashing of Madureira in the second leg of the Campeonato Carioca semifinal. Rubro-Negro had already won the first leg 3-0 and will play the final against Fluminense.

“Yesterday I made a very interesting post, but it wasn’t a jab at anyone. I try to provide peace of mind for the athletes and professionals. Of course, there’s a lot of pressure in football, and demands when necessary, but always with respect. At that moment, in the photo I took, I was sitting in a wonderful spot at the Football Academy and I was just expressing my feelings. It’s the sense of a job well done, we do our best for our athletes. I see that they fight hard. In football, only one team will win. And I’m prepared for all results, as happened last year,” she said.

“I think many directors make decisions to please the fans, to look good for the fans, or even for some journalists. That’s not my style. We have let employees go at Palmeiras, but always in a respectful way. Respect and credibility are what will make the difference if we want better football,” Leila concluded.

Leila Pereira is in her second term as president of Palmeiras and, since being elected, has had Abel Ferreira as coach. At the end of last year, she renewed the coach’s contract until the end of 2027.

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