Leila Pereira: Form a league without Flamengo, let them play alone | OneFootball

Palmeiras President, Leila Pereira, escalated her criticism against Flamengo's board on Tuesday. The club leader harshly criticized the conduct of the Rubro-Negro's top brass regarding the Carioca club's action against Libra (Brazilian Football League), and even suggested the creation of a league without the Gávea team.

Last Friday, Flamengo obtained an injunction in the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice (TJ-RJ), which blocked the transfer of R$ 77 million from a portion of the Brazilian Championship broadcast rights. The action was coordinated by the club's board, led by Luiz Eduardo Baptista, Bap.

“My suggestion would be to create another league excluding Flamengo. I think Flamengo should play alone. No club is bigger than Brazilian football. Palmeiras doesn't play alone, Flamengo doesn't play alone. Unless he [Flamengo] wants to play against his under-20 team, you know?”, said the Palmeiras president in an interview with R7 portal.

“So, I think it would be nice for us to form a new league excluding Flamengo, and Flamengo plays with itself. I want to see the audience he will have. I find it very difficult for managers with this mindset. This does not enhance Brazilian football at all”, added Leila Pereira.

The amount of R$ 77 million blocked by Flamengo would be distributed among the other clubs of Libra, formed by 12 other teams besides Palmeiras: ABC, Atlético-MG, Bahia, Bragantino, Grêmio, Guarani, Paysandu, Remo, Vitória, Sampaio Corrêa, Santos, and São Paulo.

Flamengo's action

According to Flamengo, the reason for the action was dissatisfaction with the criteria adopted by Libra for the division of TV revenues, especially the 30% share linked to pay-per-view audience. The club claims that the current division does not adequately recognize its "revenue-generating power", which represents about 47% of the total fan base of Libra's teams.

In a statement, the Carioca club also highlighted that the Libra statute guarantees all clubs the right to veto revenue sharing criteria, but its objections were not respected at the league's assemblies, held in May and August of this year.

Palmeiras had already repudiated Flamengo's attitude

The Palmeiras was one of the first clubs to speak out after the injunction obtained by Flamengo. The Alviverde club, in an official statement released last Saturday, described Flamengo's attitude as "arrogant and deceitful", and considered the strategy "predatory and vile". Verdão also claimed that the Carioca team's action attempts to suffocate the other institutions in order to extract more individual benefits.

The club also stressed that it would benefit if the change proposed by Flamengo was confirmed. However, the Palestrina team emphasized that it defends the "collective growth of Brazilian football" and wants a "sustainable future" for all clubs.

Palmeiras' note initiated a movement of several demonstrations from other Libra clubs against Flamengo's action. São Paulo, Santos, Atlético-MG, and Vitória were some of the teams that also repudiated and criticized the attitude of the Carioca Rubro-Negro.

Libra also spoke out

On the same day that Flamengo achieved the legal victory, the Brazilian Football League also spoke out. Libra criticized the action of the Carioca team and classified the measure as unilateral and harmful to clubs that depend on this money for cash flow, bill payment, and salaries.

“The entity, together with its clubs, aims to protect the interests of the vast majority of clubs that believe in joint construction, respect for agreements, and the strengthening of Brazilian football”, it wrote in an official statement.

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