\
In the red-black mood
\
\
\ MARCIO BRAGA
\
The Chinese, with their ancient wisdom, have an interesting saying: if the horse wins once, it's luck. Twice, it's coincidence. Three, bet on this horse.
\
\ In the last three years, Flamengo achieved football hegemony in Rio de Janeiro, was five-time champion, champion of the Copa do Brasil and has presented consistent performance in the Brazilian Championship:
\
\ in 2007 we came in third, with 61 points and 54% success rate;
\
\ in 2008 we finished fifth, having led the competition for ten rounds and\ totaling 64 points, with 56% success;
\
\ now, in 2009, Flamengo is the leader in the last round, with 57% of\ use and 64 points, depending only on itself to win the\ sixth championship.
\
\ There is undoubtedly a lot to celebrate, and not just on the field.
\
This sporting performance is directly related to the club's management, which managed to restore Flamengo's credibility, address its liabilities, significantly increase revenues and, above all, implement corporate governance principles to manage the red-black nation's assets with seriousness and transparency.
\
\ If it were possible to highlight only three factors for the success of this team, one would not hesitate to point out the hiring of Andrade, the agreement with Pet and the return of Adriano.
\
\ These three examples deserve a deeper analysis as they reflect the\ commitment to manage responsibly and with austerity.
\
Hiring Andrade was a difficult decision, but it proved to be the right one and represented significant savings for the club's coffers, giving a Flamengo star the opportunity to rise as coach. Besides being a star, Flamengo also employs in-house coaches, as seen in Carlinhos.
\
The agreement that made Pet's return possible, rescuing a great idol, who has been proving his talent in every game and, deservedly, should be the star of the Brasileirão, was born from an administrative concern: to improve the club's cash flow, deeply shaken by successive seizures, originating in processes from previous administrations.
\
\ The signing of Adriano, the Emperor, the championship's top scorer so far,\ was only possible thanks to Olympikus, which, in less than six months, has already sold\ around 1 million shirts compared to 120 thousand/year from the previous supplier, opened\ in Gávea the largest club store in Latin America and was willing to\ complement the amount that Flamengo could pay the athlete.
\
\ The relationship between the club's management and its results on the field is evident, especially in a regular competition like the Brazilian Championship.
\
\ The administration, the team and the fans play together and it is no coincidence that\ Flamengo has broken all attendance and revenue records in recent\ years, representing a brutal increase in box office revenue, with more than 1\ million fans per year at Maracanã, singing in chorus: "Let's go\ Flamengo, let's be champions..."
\
\ Remembering the words of the governor of Sergipe, the red-black Marcelo Déda,\ in an article published here in GLOBO (21/11), confessing that his love for\ Flamengo comes before even understanding what football was, next Sunday\ "the red-black hurricane will once again stir our feelings.
\
\ I don't know if we'll get the sixth title, but I'm sure that Flamengo has already accomplished\ a great mission: it has recovered its prestige and respect, it has returned joy to its fans and it has made a championship that seemed allergic to\ emotions more beautiful and competitive."
\
\ MARCIO BRAGA is president of Flamengo.
\
\
\ MARCIO BRAGA
\
The Chinese, with their ancient wisdom, have an interesting saying: if the horse wins once, it's luck. Twice, it's coincidence. Three, bet on this horse.
\
\ In the last three years, Flamengo achieved football hegemony in Rio de Janeiro, was five-time champion, champion of the Copa do Brasil and has presented consistent performance in the Brazilian Championship:
\
\ in 2007 we came in third, with 61 points and 54% success rate;
\
\ in 2008 we finished fifth, having led the competition for ten rounds and\ totaling 64 points, with 56% success;
\
\ now, in 2009, Flamengo is the leader in the last round, with 57% of\ use and 64 points, depending only on itself to win the\ sixth championship.
\
\ There is undoubtedly a lot to celebrate, and not just on the field.
\
This sporting performance is directly related to the club's management, which managed to restore Flamengo's credibility, address its liabilities, significantly increase revenues and, above all, implement corporate governance principles to manage the red-black nation's assets with seriousness and transparency.
\
\ If it were possible to highlight only three factors for the success of this team, one would not hesitate to point out the hiring of Andrade, the agreement with Pet and the return of Adriano.
\
\ These three examples deserve a deeper analysis as they reflect the\ commitment to manage responsibly and with austerity.
\
Hiring Andrade was a difficult decision, but it proved to be the right one and represented significant savings for the club's coffers, giving a Flamengo star the opportunity to rise as coach. Besides being a star, Flamengo also employs in-house coaches, as seen in Carlinhos.
\
The agreement that made Pet's return possible, rescuing a great idol, who has been proving his talent in every game and, deservedly, should be the star of the Brasileirão, was born from an administrative concern: to improve the club's cash flow, deeply shaken by successive seizures, originating in processes from previous administrations.
\
\ The signing of Adriano, the Emperor, the championship's top scorer so far,\ was only possible thanks to Olympikus, which, in less than six months, has already sold\ around 1 million shirts compared to 120 thousand/year from the previous supplier, opened\ in Gávea the largest club store in Latin America and was willing to\ complement the amount that Flamengo could pay the athlete.
\
\ The relationship between the club's management and its results on the field is evident, especially in a regular competition like the Brazilian Championship.
\
\ The administration, the team and the fans play together and it is no coincidence that\ Flamengo has broken all attendance and revenue records in recent\ years, representing a brutal increase in box office revenue, with more than 1\ million fans per year at Maracanã, singing in chorus: "Let's go\ Flamengo, let's be champions..."
\
\ Remembering the words of the governor of Sergipe, the red-black Marcelo Déda,\ in an article published here in GLOBO (21/11), confessing that his love for\ Flamengo comes before even understanding what football was, next Sunday\ "the red-black hurricane will once again stir our feelings.
\
\ I don't know if we'll get the sixth title, but I'm sure that Flamengo has already accomplished\ a great mission: it has recovered its prestige and respect, it has returned joy to its fans and it has made a championship that seemed allergic to\ emotions more beautiful and competitive."
\
\ MARCIO BRAGA is president of Flamengo.