Flamengo president says he has conviction in Vítor Pereira and that Marcos Braz only leaves the club if he wants to

Flamengo’s new setback this season — against Independiente del Valle, for the Recopa, on Tuesday — stirred up spirits at the club, with criticism especially of the work of coach Vítor Pereira and vice president of football, Marcos Braz. The duo, however, has the confidence of the club’s president, Rodolfo Landim, who rules out replacing her at the moment. The VP is even given the support to continue implementing their ideas and make the necessary changes in the team.

“I’ve been following his work. What he thinks and does has logic and foundation. Gradually, we are getting it right. I saw a team on the field yesterday (Tuesday) that evolved a lot in several aspects. I have more than hope, almost conviction, that very soon we will be reaping the fruits of this work. That’s what I believe – says Landim in an interview with journalist Mauro Cezar Pereira from UOL.

In the case of Braz, confidence, at least in speech, is even greater. Landim continues to positively evaluate the work of the vice president of football, despite the many crises that the sector has faced in recent years. The president takes responsibility for any failures and guarantees that Braz will only leave the red-black if he wants to.

— Marcos and I got into this together at the beginning of 2019 and we will be together until the end of 2024, unless he doesn’t want to and asks me to leave. He is a great collaborator. If there’s something wrong with Flamengo football, it’s my responsibility. He does an excellent job, he discusses with me the options we have and advises me on the decisions to be taken,” says Landim.

The manager, on the other hand, did not answer clearly about the reasons that led him to change Dorival Júnior, then champion of Libertadores and Copa do Brasil, for the Portuguese player at the end of last season. He limited himself to saying that “they were internal evaluation factors, almost intimate with the club”.

The fact is that the beginning of Vítor Pereira is far from desired. In a month, he lost the Supercopa do Brasil to Palmeiras, fell in the semifinal of the Club World Cup against Al Hilal and was beaten by Del Valle in the Recopa Sudamericana. Now, he sees Carioca gain extra weight for the restoration of a climate of peace. This Sunday, he already has another important challenge: the classic with Vasco, at 18:10.