In worst phase in history, Santos fights against relegation – 10/24/2023 – Sport

Santos’ 2023 season has been marked by series of failures on and off the field. The club is fighting against relegation in the Brazilian Championship, registers its worst score at this point in the competition and is coming off a blow, the historic 7-1 defeat suffered in a duel with Internacional.

The tragic year for the coastal team already saw early eliminations in the Campeonato Paulista and Copa Sudamericana, with falls in the group stage. In the Copa do Brasil, the team stopped in the round of 16, on penalties, against Bahia.

There have been three coaches since January, apart from the interim ones, such as the current commander, Marcelo Fernandes. The debt, which is high, is aggravated by the lack of awards. It does not seem like an exaggeration to point out that this is the worst phase in the centuries-old history of the beach region.

In the Brazilian Championship, with ten remaining until the end of the tournament, the black and white team is in 18th place, with 30 points, one less than Goiás, the first team outside the relegation zone. It is the lowest score for the Vila Belmiro team after 28 rounds since 2006, when the Brazilian Championship adopted the current format of straight points with 20 teams.

The 7-1 defeat to Internacional equaled the club’s worst of the tournament. In 2005, the beach team succumbed to the same score against Corinthians. The most recent setback increased the downgrade risk from 37.1% to 50.3%, according to mathematicians at UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais).

According to Guilherme Nascimento, researcher at Assophis (Association of Researchers and Historians of Santos FC), the beach’s black and white phase is the worst in its centuries-old history. The only moment that can be compared to the current one, Nascimento pointed out, is already a hundred years old, when the club was still in the amateur era and went through difficult times at Paulista from 1921 to 1923.

At that point, however, the club had not yet established itself as a football force and was considered average. In 2023, the situation is different, with the team having won important trophies and revealed a legion of stars over the decades.

“Santos is today a team of international dimensions and went through this tragedy [a goleada contra o Internacional] on the eve of Pelé’s birthday”, said Nascimento. The King, who died in December last year at the age of 82, was born on October 23rd.

Former player Robert, Brazilian champion with Santos in 2002, also thinks that the team finds itself in a situation it has never seen before. “What has happened to the club’s football is regrettable in every way.”

The former athlete harshly criticized the last administrations that led the club, including the current one under Andres Rueda. There is a lack of criteria and planning when hiring players and coaches, whether in the youth teams or in the professional squad, he said.

Since Rueda took over the club, in 2021, eight coaches have been on the bench. The last was Uruguayan Diego Aguirre, who left after just five matches. “Today, Santos is a ship adrift,” declared Robert.

Alvinegro faces challenges on and off the field

The latest financial statement indicates that it is not just within the four lines that the beach team has suffered from poor management. The balance sheet for the second quarter of 2023 showed that the club had a debt of approximately R$700 million in June, after presenting a deficit of R$10.2 million in the period.

The last title was the 2016 Paulista. And the lack of titles — one of the main sources of revenue, with the respective prizes — prevents the club from being able to develop a plan to resolve the debts. At this year’s state tournament, for example, the forecast was to raise R$1.6 million, with classification for the finals. The early fall, with 11th place, brought only R$ 180 thousand to the coffers.

Armênio Neto, who managed Santos’ marketing department between 2010 and 2013, says that seeking support from the fans will be fundamental in the fight against relegation. “It will be necessary to push the team in these remaining rounds,” he said. Engagement actions on social and motivational networks to encourage athletes are highlighted among the strategies that can be used.

Tickets for the next match at Vila Belmiro on Thursday (26), in a direct fight to escape the relegation zone against Coritiba, 19th in the table, are already sold out. This Tuesday (24), organized fans went to CT Rei Pelé to talk to players. According to them, they expressed anger, but promised support from the stands.

The season also had problems off the field. Last month, Paulo Roberto Falcão resigned from his position as football coordinator after allegations of sexual harassment from an employee at the hotel where the former player was staying came to light. Last Friday (20), the court decided to close the investigation due to lack of evidence.

At the end of June, the club had already terminated the contract with defender Eduardo Bauermann, one of the squad’s leaders, suspended by FIFA (International Football Federation) for involvement in a match-fixing scheme.

Santos will go through elections in December. Transforming the club into a SAF (Sociedade Anônima de Futebol) and increasing revenue are among the candidates’ plans.

Lawyer specializing in sports law, Eduardo Carlezzo said that the club’s transformation into a SAF could help settle accounts. To do this, however, it will be necessary to give up control of the association.

“There are no investors interested in pouring in a significant amount of money without being able to run the club.” However, if the club is relegated, being able to attract someone to finance the operation in the desired amount could become a more difficult mission.

In the search for new sources of revenue, the current management recently announced plans to build a new stadium. At the end of September, Santos signed a contract with WTorre for the reconstruction of Vila Belmiro. The works are expected to begin in early 2024, with a budget of R$300 million.

Confirmation of the project will depend on the results of the elections and the team’s performance. A drop to the second division could cause a change in plans, as in this case the club will have to adapt to a new financial reality in Series B.

If the plan comes to fruition, the beach team should, during the works, play their matches at Pacaembu, whose reopening is scheduled for the beginning of next year. As a result, the black and white team would be without the support of the fans in the Vila cauldron for some time, whether for another Series A dispute or for an attempt to leave the second division.

For now, alongside São Paulo and Flamengo, Santos is one of three teams today in Series A of the Brazilian Championship that have never been relegated to the second division.