São Paulo squad leave Arboleda case to directors: “No contact with him” | OneFootball

São Paulo’s squad has still not had any contact with Arboleda after the defender’s trip to Ecuador. At least that is what goalkeeper Rafael and forward Artur said when asked about the matter after the Tricolor’s 2-0 win over O’Higgins last Tuesday at Morumbis in the Copa Sudamericana.

“No [we haven’t spoken with Arboleda]. I’ve never worked with him before, I arrived and he was already here, that’s all. He’s a really good guy, but I really don’t have that information,” Artur said in the mixed zone.

Rafael, one of the squad’s leaders, said the final decision regarding the player is in the hands of the board, headed by president Harry Massis. The matter has already become a closed chapter for the squad and Roger Machado’s coaching staff, who had wanted to hear from the Ecuadorian. Since that was not possible, the issue is now only on the table of the club’s top brass.

“We don’t have any updates. It’s a conversation that I think has been happening between the board and the player. Now it’s an institutional matter, it’s not up to us players or the coaching staff. It really is in the hands of the board together with him. We hope it can be resolved in the best possible way for all parties,” the goalkeeper explained.

“We haven’t had [contact with him] since he went to Ecuador, it’s more the club that has been in contact, and we don’t even know how that has been going. We can only hope and root for a good outcome, because we like Arboleda and we also like São Paulo. I hope they can sort it out as soon as possible and reach a situation that is good for both sides,” he added.

Case recap

Arboleda was not with the rest of his São Paulo teammates at the team hotel ahead of the match against Cruzeiro in the 10th round of the Brazilian Championship. The defender was supposed to report at 12 p.m. (Brasília time) at SuperCT, but he did not show up and was ultimately left out of the squad for the match.

Internally, São Paulo was told that Arboleda had rushed to Ecuador in the early hours of April 4. The club did not immediately confirm the player’s whereabouts, since he did not respond to the Tricolor’s attempts to contact him. His location was confirmed the following day.

Then on Monday, April 6, football director Rui Costa criticized Arboleda’s disappearance and described the player’s attitude as “disrespectful” toward the squad, the board, and São Paulo’s fans. On the same day, the Tricolor sent a formal notice to the Ecuadorian, giving him 24 hours to explain his absence from club activities.

Photo: Erico Leonan / São Paulo FC

Arboleda even posted indirect messages aimed at São Paulo on social media. “It doesn’t matter how good you are, if you are in the wrong place, you are worth nothing,” the defender posted.

Arboleda’s staff and São Paulo began talks over an amicable termination, but no decision should be made before the player returns to Brazil, according to UOL.

Standings situation

With the result, São Paulo took over first place in Group C of the Copa Sudamericana. The Tricolor claimed its second win in the tournament, maintained a 100% record, and reached six points, moving ahead of O’Higgins.

São Paulo will now return to action against Vasco in the 12th round of the Brazilian Championship. Kickoff is this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at São Januário.

São Paulo’s upcoming matches

Vasco vs. São Paulo (12th round of the Brazilian Championship) Date and time: 04/18 (Saturday), at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: São Januário, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ)

São Paulo vs. Juventude (first leg of the fifth round of the Copa do Brasil) Date and time: 04/21 (Tuesday), at 7:15 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Morumbis, in São Paulo (SP)

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