Rafinha's day-off post sparks controversy and São Paulo fan anger | OneFootball

A recent post by former full-back Rafinha on his social media sparked negative reactions from São Paulo fans.

The professional shared a video capturing family moments at a leisure complex, accompanied by the caption: “Starting vacation in the best way and in the best place.”

Given the team’s current squad restructuring period and the proximity of the transfer window opening, fans interpreted the post as a sign of detachment from his executive duties.

The club’s board, however, clarified that the break in question referred to his children’s school vacation period and that the visual records had been captured last Sunday (5), on his day off.

Rafinha, who serves as sporting manager and has been acting as interim executive football manager since Rui Costa’s dismissal, kept his usual work schedule at CT da Barra Funda both on the day of the post and on the following dates.

Institutional evidence and history of questioning

As an institutional and personal response to the fallout generated on the digital platform, new updates were made to reiterate that he was fulfilling his work schedule.

The professional posted a story showing him leaving the training center at night.

São Paulo’s communications department released official training images in which the executive appears in technical alignment, on the edge of the pitch, with head coach Dorival Júnior and assistant Lucas Silvestre. In addition, the workday was partially opened to journalists in the morning, and Rafinha greeted members of the press.

This was not the first episode of public questioning involving the executive’s routine during the break in the national calendar for the World Cup.

During the group stage of the world tournament, the former athlete worked as a guest commentator on Grupo Globo broadcasts, generating debate on social media about his focus on his duties at Morumbi.

On that occasion, the club stressed that the analysis was carried out from the broadcaster’s studios in Brazil, without affecting or overlapping with his daily commitments to São Paulo’s football department. After Rui Costa’s departure, Rafinha gave up his activities in the media conglomerate for good.

  View this photo on Instagram   A post shared by RAFINHA (@rafinha13)

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