‘Santos is still great, but he stopped in time’, says Pepe – 12/08/2023 – Sports

Second top scorer in Santos history, with 403 goals, former left-winger Pepe says, at 88 years old, that he suffered last Wednesday (6) the deepest blow in the almost umbilical relationship with Santos, which began in 1951 .

The club’s idol says he watched part of the ordeal against Fortaleza with pain on television. The 2-1 defeat in Vila Belmiro culminated in an unprecedented relegation to Série B.

“It was the saddest moment I’ve ever felt with Santos. It’s still strange to me [o rebaixamento]. I didn’t watch the whole game”, he began by saying Sheet.

“Santos, used to always fighting for titles, has reached this difficult point. Unfortunately, it is part of a new era. Time has passed, we have stopped a little in time. Santos continues to be a great club, but it stopped, while other teams were structured “, he added.

Pepe has one of the most loyal stories involving a former player and a club with Santos. He arrived at Vila Belmiro while still in the youth categories and retired in 1969 without ever wearing the shirt of another club.

He scored 403 goals in 741 games, winning 25 official titles, 11 of which were state titles, 6 Brazilians, 2 Libertadores and 2 World Cups. He claims to be the greatest scorer, since he disregards the “alien” Pelé from the account.

“We are facing a moment of serious crisis, but I am sure that Santos will return to normal. Santos will return to being that Santos, giving us joy”, he assesses.

For him, the greatest portion of blame will always be reflected on the players, although it also does not exempt managers, members of the technical committee and other participants in the campaign.

“Each party has a share of the blame, but the biggest culprits are those who make football happen on the field: the players. It will always be them. I speak from the perspective of someone who has been a player and coach”, he assesses.

After hanging up his boots, Pepe had a long career as a coach, having managed Santos on five occasions, winning the Paulista title in 1973. He stopped in 2004, after managing Pep Guardiola at Al Ahli, in Qatar.

“I like to tell everyone how much Guardiola asked about Santos. We talked a lot. I liked to understand how we played. That’s the size of the club”, he recalls.

Canhão da Vila believes that the team shouldn’t take long to rise again: “perhaps it would be more difficult in my time because there wasn’t this evasion of great players in lesser teams”.

During the administration of president Andres Rueda, Santos fought for three consecutive years against relegation in Paulista and Brasileiro. The team also accumulated early eliminations in the South American Championship and the Copa do Brasil.

In October, in an interview with ge, Rueda minimized the effects of his management, saying he had done a “necessary evil for the club’s moment” and that he did not use “politics” to please members of the Deliberative Council.

The director also claimed to have paid R$431 million in debts, arguing that he would leave the club in December with his “mission accomplished”.

This Thursday (7), hours after the widespread confusion in Vila Belmiro and around the stadium, the SSP (Public Security Secretariat) reported that six buses and four cars were set on fire by fans, who also attacked the police, throwing bottles, stones and fireworks.

During the action, 11 police officers were injured and two vehicles were damaged, but no one was arrested.

The city hall, in turn, says that teams are still surveying vandalized public equipment to plan repairs.

In total, ten people were taken to the city’s Central UPA. All were released after receiving medical assistance at the health unit.

At the end of the morning, a group of fans forced their way into the administrative section of the stadium, asking employees to leave their work areas.

They looked for President Rueda or members of the Management Committee to demand satisfaction for the demotion, but none of them were found.

According to the club, there were no attacks or damage to property. The invaders were removed from the club’s premises by the Military Police.