Bap explains Flamengo’s Carioca rethink and denies interference in selection | OneFootball

Flamengo have altered their Campeonato Carioca plan, accelerating first-team involvement after starting with the under-20s, and president Luiz Eduardo Baptista has denied interfering in team selection.

According to Coluna Do Fla, the change followed a meeting between Baptista, director of football José Boto and head coach Filipe Luís.

The senior squad began pre-season on 12 January and had been due to return only against São Paulo in the Campeonato Brasileiro, or Corinthians in the Supercopa do Brasil.

Two defeats and one draw with the under-20s prompted a rethink, with the club weighing the risk of the Carioca relegation quadrangular, which could add up to six games. By contrast, qualifying for the knockouts and reaching the final would mean four matches.

Baptista said he acted for institutional and mathematical reasons, noting that failure to qualify would add two unscheduled fixtures. He added that plans are subject to adjustment and insisted claims he influenced team or line-up choices were untrue.

The first team are set to face Vasco at the Maracanã at 21:30 Brasília time on Wednesday. Globo, SporTV, GeTV and Premiere will broadcast the clássico.

Source: Coluna Do Fla