Believe it or not, Roger eyes Arboleda return after derby loss | OneFootball

It sounds like a bad joke, but head coach Roger Machado admitted this Sunday (10) that he may give defender Arboleda another chance in São Paulo’s squad.

During the press conference after the 3-2 loss to rivals Corinthians in Itaquera, in the Brazilian Championship, Roger was asked about the Ecuadorian. And he left the door open for him to be reinstated to the squad.

“Arboleda is still being dealt with at the board level. He is a club player, he expressed the wishes we all know about, he was away for a long time and is in a reconditioning period. But the time to deal with the technical side has not come yet. When that happens, as a club player, maybe he can help us in the future. But today that is not my decision,” he said.

THE CASE

Arboleda is back at São Paulo. After nearly a month away, the 34-year-old center back reported back on the afternoon of this Monday (4) at the Barra Funda training center and, as AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR had already revealed, it was decided that he will be fined and will keep training separately until the next transfer window, when he is expected to be transferred.

Sources in São Paulo’s top brass told the report some of the reasons why the plan to terminate the Ecuadorian’s contract, which runs until the end of 2027, was abandoned.

“We are prioritizing financial protection and disciplinary control over an immediate breakup,” said one of the people consulted.

After reporting back at the Barra Funda training center accompanied by his representatives, the Ecuadorian was formally reprimanded by the football leadership, made up of Rui Costa and Rafinha, who made their dissatisfaction with his unjustified absence clear.

As an administrative punishment, the player suffered a severe cut to his pay, equivalent to one month’s salary, and remains subject to further fines under the club’s internal regulations.

But the refusal to terminate the contract is based on a technical risk analysis. Legally, dismissal for cause was weakened by the player’s return before the 30-day period that characterizes job abandonment, which could drag the club into an uncertain and costly legal dispute.

Without completing 30 consecutive days of disappearance, Arboleda has grounds, especially at FIFA, not only to gain a legal advantage over São Paulo, but also to pocket compensation. “People look only at Brazilian labor laws, but forget that this is an international case,” said a club source consulted.

On the other hand, a mutual termination was ruled out because it was considered a strategic contradiction: besides generating no financial compensation, it would allow the defender to strengthen direct rivals at no cost, turning an act of indiscipline into a direct benefit for the offender.

“He never hid that his goal was to leave São Paulo. Evidently there is no atmosphere for him to stay. But authorizing his departure as if nothing had happened, besides granting his wish, would create a dangerous precedent for other players who want to do the same. There is still one year left on his contract. And São Paulo cannot afford that luxury,” he pointed out.

AMT had previously revealed that the Morumbi club was well aware that there were interested parties in Arboleda just waiting for his contract to be terminated so they could sign him.

Given this scenario, São Paulo adopted a productive isolation plan for the player. Arboleda will undergo a full battery of clinical exams and performance tests to assess the impact of the period of inactivity, followed by an individualized physical reconditioning schedule.

First and foremost, this is meant to show clubs interested in the center back that he is in full condition to be transferred. “This is a stage of physical and disciplinary recovery, whose ultimate goal is to keep the player in marketable condition so he can be transferred or included in swap deals as soon as the next transfer window opens,” summarized a source consulted by AMT.

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