Bap on Carioca changes: No interference in Flamengo line-up | OneFootball

Flamengo Had to Change Its Plans at the Start of the Season

Flamengo began the Campeonato Carioca with its under-20 team, while the main squad was in pre-season training. However, given the circumstances of the competition, the club decided to adjust its plans and bring some players back earlier than expected.

The decision came after a meeting between Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, football director José Boto, and coach Filipe Luís. In a conversation with journalist Venê Casagrande, the club president explained the reasons for the adjustment in planning and, at the same time, denied any interference in the team’s lineup.

“I acted to make a necessary adjustment for institutional and mathematical reasons. Not qualifying would mean two more games in the calendar, for which there are no available dates. Any plan is subject to adjustments, and I did insist on that. That said, saying that I interfered with the team or the lineup is a lie,” he wrote.

WHY DID FLAMENGO CHANGE ITS PLANS?

The main squad’s pre-season started on January 12. Initially, the plan was for the professionals to return to the field only against São Paulo, in the Campeonato Brasileiro, or alternatively, against Corinthians in the Supercopa do Brasil.

However, after two losses and a draw with the team made up of under-20 players, Flamengo changed its plans. The club began to assess the risk of having to play in the relegation round of the Carioca, a scenario that would add up to six games to the calendar. On the other hand, qualifying for the knockout stage and possibly advancing to the final would result in four matches.

WHEN DOES THE MAIN SQUAD RETURN TO THE FIELD?

The main Flamengo team returns to the field at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) this Wednesday (21st), against Vasco, at Maracanã. Globo (broadcast TV), SporTV (cable), GeTV (pay-per-view), and Premiere (pay-per-view) will broadcast the classic.

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