Corinthians Futsal boss sees turnaround, talks signings, backs LNF spot | OneFootball

Corinthians hosted Praia Clube on the night of last Friday (15) at Ginásio Wlamir Marques, in a match valid for the sixth round of the Liga Nacional de Futsal (LNF) classification stage, and was defeated 3-0. The setback dropped the Corinthians side from ninth to 11th place with four points — one win, one draw, and four losses — eight goals scored and 14 conceded.

Moments after the final whistle, Corinthians Futsal head coach Fernando Malafaia spoke to the press in the mixed zone. During the interview, he analyzed the team’s performance, talked about the lack of attacking efficiency, as well as the mistakes on the three goals conceded. The coach also stressed that the opponent’s plays had been worked on in training sessions and video analysis.

Photo: Beto Miller/Agência Corinthians

Fernando Malafaia also guaranteed that, even amid the team’s poor moment in the national competition, Corinthians will qualify for the knockout stage. The coach also revealed that, without naming him, he has been trying to bring in an important player to wear the Corinthians shirt, but financial issues are preventing the deal from happening.

For 2026, it is worth remembering, half of Corinthians’ futsal squad is made up of players developed in or recently promoted from the youth ranks, following the cost-cutting policy established by the current board, led by president Osmar Stabile. Even so, Malafaia believes the Alvinegro can still compete for titles this season.

Next match

Now, after another defeat in the National League, Corinthians turns its focus back to the Campeonato Paulista de Futsal. Next Tuesday (19), at 7 p.m. (Brasília time), Alvinegro faces Pulo Futsal Campinas in the third round of the state competition. In the first two rounds, Alvinegro won both matches.

Check below the Corinthians Futsal coach’s answers:

Match analysis, lack of efficiency, and lack of attention on the goals conceded even with video sessions about the opponent

“Our efficiency didn’t turn into effectiveness. I think this is already the second time I’ve said that. But the worst part of all was that we conceded a goal — the first one — from something we had discussed, trained, shown on video, and our player literally arrived late. It wasn’t the first time. In the first half, we had two balls played in behind because the opponent’s game is, first of all, not attractive. It’s a game where the goalkeeper sends the ball up front, they never build out with possession from the back, it’s always the ball up front to win the throw-in and push the goalkeeper forward. Unfortunately for the sport, that’s bad, but it’s within the rules. So I absolutely can’t complain. I’m just saying that we trained hard for that. And we conceded a goal, and that goal destabilized our team a bit. Not that we didn’t produce; when it was 1-0, we missed a chance right in front of the goalkeeper and my player didn’t even react.”

Use of youth players and more on the goals conceded

“So, we are paying the price for some situations that are nothing new to me. It’s nothing new to me to work with young players who still need to mature. And just now I was starting to talk to Danielzinho about this. Are we producing players so that, in this acute moment, when the club needs them, they are close to being ready? That was a question I asked Danielzinho. I’ve been here for two years, and I see that we have some players with quality, but still with a very rough profile to compete in these games that literally punish you, that make you pay.”

“We’re going to keep working, the players have ability, and I need to make sure they step up. And I really liked my team, I praised them in the first half. We marked like crazy, we got caught by two balls in behind, but we marked like crazy. We pressed in the first, in the second, and in the third, but you were right when you said we didn’t put the ball in the net. When you don’t put the ball in the net, there will come a time when what’s happening now will happen, because we’re making too many mistakes.”

Is the situation in the National League worrying?

“No, we’re going to qualify. Of course it worries me, but the number of points doesn’t worry me. What worries me is how necessary it will be for the players — the responsibility is theirs — for them to understand that they literally need to improve their performance levels. Day by day we train and see interesting things. And we see that they have game ability. Now they need to break through that barrier and do it in the match.”

Return of injured players – Caio Barros and Vandinho / Search for an important signing

“Look, I think Caio will be back by the end of next week, for the trip to Erechim (match against Atlântico Erechim on the 23rd). Vandinho only in July, right? We have a player up our sleeve, we’ve been trying to bring him in for the last two months, he wants to come here, but unfortunately we can’t make it happen. The club is going through some situations that are preventing that, but he would help a lot. I’ve consistently been trying, looking, talking, other people have also helped, but we can’t do it. So Vandinho is still some way off, and he is sorely missed. A quality player changes the game, and Caio is the same.”

Can Corinthians, even going through a bad moment, fight for titles in futsal in 2026?

“I already reached a League final with Assoeva; I had six senior players, but it happened, and you know, you live in sports, there came a time when the kids understood each other, it was all youngsters and six others, one of them is here, Renatinho. The guys clicked and it worked. That’s what I keep telling them insistently, because there’s something like this: if you have desire, you are the one who makes it happen, but who does it depend on? Only you, your conduct, your performance, your pursuit, it doesn’t depend on anyone else. The day-to-day work here, if you come here and watch, they perform well, but I think there’s weight from a certain situation, and now it’s going to be worse, because.”

“We worked to make this result a favorable one for us. And then I have to… We already have the game on Tuesday, a tough game on Tuesday against Pulo there (Campeonato Paulista). But this exercise is a good one, man. I’m going to be honest with you in answering you. If I believe, I do believe, man. And that’s because I believe in my work and in the work of my staff and in the work of the players. There will come a time when we will, you can be sure of that. I’m absolutely sure some people will say that when that time comes it’ll already be too late. Man, right now, if we qualify in 12th, 10th, 8th, or 7th, it’s all the same. But we are going to qualify.”

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