On the eve of the decision of the Intercontinental Club Cup, which will be played by PSG and Flamengo, FIFA promoted in the capital of Qatar the delivery of The Best award, which recognizes the main players, coaches and fans of the season. The person who participated in the event was the president of the Rio club, Luiz Eduardo Baptista, who harshly criticized the organization of the championship.
Bap stated that Flamengo competing in the Intecontinental is “a special, unique moment”, but questioned the fact that the European champion qualified directly for the decision, while the red and black team had to go through two phases.
— It is impossible not to say that it is absolutely unfair. Flamengo will arrive tomorrow in match number 80 of the year (editor’s note: it will be the 78th), against a club that needs no comment due to its technical quality and that will only play one match. So this is anything but a tournament. It’s not a tournament — he said. — But I’m pleased that the matter is being discussed and I hope there will be adjustments for 2026, regardless of whether Flamengo is here or not.
Asked about the contract renewal of the Vice-President of Football, the Portuguese José Boto, who was approached by European teams, and that of coach Filipe Luís, Bap said nothing.
— I don’t know about Boto’s situation. I know from Bap that he is happy, he will continue as president of Flamengo for the next two years, working very hard to bring joy to the nation. And Filipe is fine, thank you, focused on tomorrow’s game.
Regarding the decisive match against PSG, scheduled for 2pm on Wednesday at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, he projected:
—I hope that the football gods are with Flamengo tomorrow, that we can give this title to the nation — concluded the director, who arrived in the country after the duels against Cruz Azul and Pyramids. On those occasions, the club’s Vice-President of Administration, Marcos Motta, was the red-black representative.
