Belmonte lists titles in farewell, Rafinha backs him, future unclear | OneFootball

It took almost an entire day, but Carlos Belmonte used his social media on Friday night (28) to comment on his departure from the position of football director at São Paulo.

It was already known that the director had lost his position since the morning, when a meeting took place at the Barra Funda training center with president Julio Casares, but the club's official announcement came in the early afternoon.

Besides Belmonte, the assistants Nelson Marques Ferreira, known as Nelsinho, and Fernando Bracalle Ambrogi, known as Chapecó, are also leaving São Paulo's football department. In an official statement, the Morumbi club informed that executive Rui Costa and coordinator Muricy Ramalho remain in charge of football "and organizing the planning for 2026."

"Today I end a five-year cycle with three titles and five finals at the helm of São Paulo's football. Gratitude to each collaborator at the training center and to all the athletes who moved me today at my farewell. I return to my family who has always been with me more than I could be with them," highlighted Belmonte.

The post received an emotional comment from Rafinha. The former right-back and tricolor captain showed support for the director. "Thank you Belmonte, you always put São Paulo above everything and I am proof of that... Good luck in your next challenge," he wrote.

This morning, Belmonte spoke with the players and said goodbye to each of them, as well as to the staff. The former director is now expected to formalize his alliance with the opposition and run in the election at the end of next year for the presidency against the candidate nominated to succeed Julio Casares.

Regarding the electoral dispute, however, the director left an enigmatic message. "The future belongs to God," he philosophized.

We have previously revealed here that at the moment of the club's greatest internal crisis, after being eliminated from the Copa Libertadores and failing to string together a series of victories in the Brazilian Championship, Casares was heavily pressured by allies for changes to occur at Barra Funda. And here it can be read that the main one was Belmonte's departure.

There are two problems, though. The first, more obvious, Casares did not want to strengthen opposition ranks by dismissing the football director who was once his great ally. The other, more practical, is the absence of a name to replace him without causing more friction with his support base. Professional football is São Paulo's flagship. It is the most prestigious position. And the chosen one would be seen as an obvious indicator of the leader's choice for his succession.

The solution, then, for the indecisive president, who does not want to displease either side, would be to appoint Costa, an outsider, which would also help him convey a more professional air to his departure from the leadership chair, essential to slightly clean up his tarnished image this year, when he began to be insulted in the stands.

Besides that, it would have a, let's say, lesser impact. Yes, Belmonte may be criticized by fans (and even by directors), but he gained status in the five years in the position, being respected by players, businessmen, and even rival directors. Broadly speaking, appointing Costa would represent continuity.

On the other hand, Carlomagno's entry into the daily life of the training center had exactly this bias of increasing loyalty at Barra Funda, a terrain that became more treacherous for the 'staunch Casares supporters,' with Belmonte increasingly distanced from the president. But the plan backfired. The superintendent was supposed to arrive making a strong impact. But he found an environment controlled by Belmonte. And surrounded by people who became loyal to the director. From the implicit rivalry, complicity emerged between the two. And the internal announcement came from the chosen one that his plans do not include being a candidate for succession.

The report has previously revealed that Casares and Belmonte have not been on the same page for about three months, since Belmonte was insulted by a club director in a leaked message via an app. Despite the atmosphere of complicity that Casares tried to convey in a press conference at the Barra Funda training center, things have only gotten more complicated since then, after the football director became certain that he will not be the one nominated to run for the president's succession at the end of next year. And emphasized that his political group is against the investment fund project for the youth categories in Cotia.

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