Charles Hembert to lead Bahia at Maracana as Ceni serves ban | OneFootball

With Rogério Ceni suspended after a third yellow card, French assistant Charles Hembert, 34, will lead Bahia away to Leonardo Jardim's Flamengo at the Maracana on Sunday night into Monday, kick-off 00:30 French time.

According to L'Équipe, the Paris-born coach views the occasion as a special chance at a stadium he knows well, even if he did not welcome Ceni's ban.

This will be only his fourth match as stand-in head coach, following three low-key outings during the pair's spell at Fortaleza from November 2017 to August 2019.

The meeting pits second against fifth in the Brasileirao, both on 20 points and with a game in hand on leaders Palmeiras. Hembert, a former business student who never played professionally, has worked in Brazil with Ceni since 2017, winning three trophies at Flamengo between November 2020 and July 2021.

He will greet Jardim in French, then address Jean Lucas and the squad in Portuguese and speak to the media after. The FIFA A Licence holder says Ceni will set the plan and pick the side, while he motivates, manages and applies some pressure on the referee, staying calmer.

Since meeting the 2002 World Cup winner while in sports marketing, Hembert has been on the bench for 536 matches with him. A polyglot used to the shadows, he plans to savour the night, even with his family staying in Paris.

Source: L'Équipe