Flamengo sack Maracanã director after Léo Pereira's pitch criticism | OneFootball

Severiano Braga will not remain with the team in charge of the Maracanã

Flamengo decided to dismiss Severiano Braga, director of the consortium responsible for managing the Maracanã, on Thursday (20). The departure comes one day after center back Léo Pereira publicly criticized the condition of the pitch during Rubro-Negro’s win over Cruzeiro in the Libertadores.

The decision was announced by Fred Nantes, the current CEO of the Maracanã consortium. The executive, who previously worked at Conmebol, recently took over the role that had belonged to Severiano Braga, who had stepped down as CEO and moved into a director position.

WHY WAS SEVERIANO BRAGA FIRED?

The quality of the Maracanã pitch has become one of Flamengo’s main concerns. In addition, the state of the field once again sparked complaints at a crucial point in the season, as Rubro-Negro are competing in the Libertadores and need to use the stadium for decisive matches.

On Wednesday (19), after the win over Cruzeiro, Léo Pereira addressed the issue in the mixed zone. The defender stressed that the field conditions mainly hurt a team that tries to build plays and finish accurately.

— One of the things that really gets in our way is the field. You only have to step out there to see that the field is in very poor condition for both teams. When it comes to Flamengo, a team that takes the initiative, that wants to play, when you get in front of goal, of course that, despite all the quality, there will be misplaced shots, weak shots — said Léo Pereira.

HOW HAS THE MARACANÃ PITCH AFFECTED FLAMENGO?

According to the club’s internal assessment, the current pitch is not at the same standard of quality seen last season. That feeling has grown even stronger because, even with the need to juggle the schedule and the break caused by the World Cup, the field had not shown such obvious problems.

In addition, Flamengo’s style of play increases concern over the pitch conditions. After all, the team usually values possession, quick passing, and building plays from the back—characteristics that require a surface in good condition.

HAD FLAMENGO ALREADY COMPLAINED ABOUT THE PITCH?

The issue with the field did not arise only after Léo Pereira’s statement. Internally, Flamengo had already been showing concern about the quality of the pitch and felt that the stadium was in worse condition than at other times.

Now, Severiano Braga’s departure comes amid the need to find solutions to improve the quality of the field. Therefore, Flamengo expects the Maracanã to provide better conditions for its upcoming commitments, especially given the run of important matches in the season.

WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION?

— A poor pitch is very harmful to Flamengo. The team, especially in the last few matches, has become dominant again, with more possession. Now, with the Libertadores knockout stage and the decisive stretch of the Brasileirão, the field needs to improve immediately — commented Pedro Paulo Catonho, journalist for Coluna do Fla.

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