Patricia Amorim: "The crisis should sell a lot of newspapers"
Flamengo president 'dots the i's and crosses the t's' and talks about Thiago Neves, Ronaldinho, Alex Silva
By Official Website Team - in
After remaining silent amid Flamengo's alleged crisis, club president Patricia Amorim has publicly addressed members and fans. She addressed the cases of Thiago Neves, Ronaldinho, and Alex Silva, and emphasized that the club has no serious financial problems.
In the press conference, held on Monday afternoon (16.01), Patricia Amorim also condemned Fluminense's stance regarding the signing of Thiago Neves. See the full press conference, in topics.
Crisis
"The supposed crisis must sell a lot of newspapers. There are many chapters, but with calm and honesty we will overcome all of this. These qualities may be lacking in football, but we are following this path at Flamengo. We may even fall off our horse, but we will continue to do things the right way. We defend Flamengo 24 hours a day and put the club above all else. Things don't happen the way people say they do."
"Flamengo is not experiencing a financial crisis. Let's be clear about that. And there are no outstanding salaries. We have a long-standing agreement with the Football Department that provides for the payment of monthly salaries by the 25th of the following month. We agreed with the Football Department that we would pay part of the bonuses and the 13th-month bonus by the 9th. We complied. Last week, we sent a message to the Football Department saying that salaries would be paid normally by the 25th, as we always do. However, we would also pay the outstanding bonuses. But we didn't wait and paid the bonuses today (Monday). We also paid a portion of Deivid's image rights. No Flamengo employee has been unpaid since we took over."
"When we took over, we took over Flamengo with an 80 million dollar advance. Last year, we reduced that advance to 40 million and expect to use less and less of that. We increased Flamengo's player equity by 25%, since we barely sold anyone. We paid 20 million in labor debts and another 80% of another debt Flamengo owed to BWA (ticket company). By May, we will have this resolved, and the club will once again have ticket revenue. We signed the best broadcast contract in the history of Brazilian football, since, with pay-per-view, we receive more than Corinthians. We need to convey this to the fans so they can see that not everything is as it seems."
"We have a basic premise at Flamengo: to maintain the squad. We've renewed 90% of our players' contracts. Secondly, we always want to keep our commitments up to date. That is, we need to resolve our outstanding issues, and we resolved them today (Monday). Now, we're focusing all our efforts on signings. These negotiations were already underway, and we will continue to seek reinforcements. Flamengo's squad isn't finalized."
"We work honestly and ethically here at Flamengo. If not all clubs work this way, I can't do anything about it, so be it. If this makes our negotiations slower than others, it's a commitment we have."
"Often, the difficulty in hiring isn't financial. Most of the time it can be, but not always. We don't consider the squad to be a done deal and we keep an eye on the market. For example, Bolívar preferred to stay at Internacional. Sometimes you want to, but the player doesn't."
"We've been careful with our signings, also because we have a very good crop of young players. They're being utilized in the professional ranks, and that's a victory for Flamengo. They're an asset to the club, and expectations are very high for them."
Thiago Neves
"We scheduled this interview thinking we would get some kind of statement from Thiago Neves' agent. However, in another interview (given this Monday), he said that negotiations are not over. Flamengo is confident in this, and negotiations are continuing. Everything is in the hands of the agent and the player. They need to take a stand. After all, the decision is theirs. We take their word for it, but that statement hasn't come yet. They need to speak out."
"Flamengo made a good offer, even better than Fluminense's supposed offer. At least that's what they say. We repudiate Fluminense's attitude in this whole story. Flamengo doesn't do that."
"Al Hilal says negotiations are ongoing, there's no new element. We maintain our confidence, and whether we'll pay for it, I don't know. What I can guarantee is that Flamengo keeps its word."
"We started negotiating Thiago Neves' signing beforehand, yes. We sent a proposal to the Arabs, and they sent us a counter-proposal. We sought the guarantees they requested, and we have them. We've already presented them to them. If we've done everything they asked, we're in business. That's the truth. Flamengo has its difficulties, but for this operation (Thiago Neves), it has its investors. We have the money to close the deal now."
"If Thiago Neves stays, he'll be keeping his word. It would be great. The fans have already shown they want him. It's up to him. He'd be welcomed with open arms, as he always has been. With Flamengo, Thiago Neves said he hadn't signed anything. He didn't say it to me, but to us. Initially, he said he'd stay at Flamengo."
Fluminense
"I don't feel comfortable with the Fluminense president's stance. I called him, and he told me he doesn't know anything, that the club's sponsor is in charge of the negotiations. But this creates a problem between the institutions. If they're interested in the player, they admit it. They're blocking the negotiations and inflating the market. This is a disservice to football. This attitude doesn't reflect the good relationship we had between our colleagues here in Rio. That good relationship no longer exists. I contacted the president directly and spoke about Bolívar at the time. He told me he wasn't interested either, just as he wasn't interested in Thiago Neves. But later, I saw an interview with him saying he hadn't spoken to me. This seriously strains our relationship and could have consequences."
"This is nothing like Flamengo's negotiations with Grêmio. Ronaldinho was with Milan, and Flamengo always showed interest in the player. Palmeiras was still there. And the player was the one who made the decision. The player is the one who decides, since the offers are always similar."
"I can't judge, but Fluminense always said throughout the entire process that they would only enter the deal when Flamengo left. Saying they didn't talk to me isn't fair. It's clear they entered the deal. I don't want to dictate how the market should be. Flamengo is interested. If they are, let them speak up. This incident undoubtedly jeopardizes a possible partnership between the clubs in a future Maracanã concession."
Alex Silva
"Alex Silva's actions took everyone by surprise. We don't know why he did this (absent from the trip to Bolivia). Over the next few hours, we will investigate what happened. He has been removed from his position, and the matter has been handed over to the legal department. It was a serious offense."
Deivid
"We acknowledge that we owe Deivid a debt. We never deny it. We pay the signing fees and a portion of what we owe him. We know we owe him, we never deny it, but that doesn't mean he's absent from the squad. We always think about resolving the issues we have with the entire group. We set deadlines and work hard to meet them. And we're succeeding."
Luxembourg
"I think Luxemburgo is following what I said. This isn't the time to talk, but to think about the two decisive games we have in the Libertadores. We talk all the time. And not everything we do pleases everyone. What we try to do here at Flamengo is try to get it right more often."
Wagner Love
"We will always make an effort to sign players who want to play for Flamengo, and Vagner Love fits that profile. Having a player like him will always be our goal."
Ronaldinho
"Assis was with us and will come to Flamengo on Wednesday to sort everything out. Ronaldinho continues to fulfill his commitments to Flamengo. He's doing everything that was agreed upon. The outcome of the entire issue we have with him will be on Wednesday. If we don't reach an agreement with Traffic, Flamengo will resolve it on its own. We've already said we're interested in the player and want to keep him. We hope everything goes well and that Traffic continues to be our partner. If it doesn't work out, we'll look for another alternative. The debt isn't Flamengo's, but the problem is. The important thing to say is that the club has an employment and federation relationship with the player. We have to make this clear to the fans and that Flamengo will fight to keep him on the roster."
In the press conference, held on Monday afternoon (16.01), Patricia Amorim also condemned Fluminense's stance regarding the signing of Thiago Neves. See the full press conference, in topics.
Crisis
"The supposed crisis must sell a lot of newspapers. There are many chapters, but with calm and honesty we will overcome all of this. These qualities may be lacking in football, but we are following this path at Flamengo. We may even fall off our horse, but we will continue to do things the right way. We defend Flamengo 24 hours a day and put the club above all else. Things don't happen the way people say they do."
"Flamengo is not experiencing a financial crisis. Let's be clear about that. And there are no outstanding salaries. We have a long-standing agreement with the Football Department that provides for the payment of monthly salaries by the 25th of the following month. We agreed with the Football Department that we would pay part of the bonuses and the 13th-month bonus by the 9th. We complied. Last week, we sent a message to the Football Department saying that salaries would be paid normally by the 25th, as we always do. However, we would also pay the outstanding bonuses. But we didn't wait and paid the bonuses today (Monday). We also paid a portion of Deivid's image rights. No Flamengo employee has been unpaid since we took over."
"When we took over, we took over Flamengo with an 80 million dollar advance. Last year, we reduced that advance to 40 million and expect to use less and less of that. We increased Flamengo's player equity by 25%, since we barely sold anyone. We paid 20 million in labor debts and another 80% of another debt Flamengo owed to BWA (ticket company). By May, we will have this resolved, and the club will once again have ticket revenue. We signed the best broadcast contract in the history of Brazilian football, since, with pay-per-view, we receive more than Corinthians. We need to convey this to the fans so they can see that not everything is as it seems."
"We have a basic premise at Flamengo: to maintain the squad. We've renewed 90% of our players' contracts. Secondly, we always want to keep our commitments up to date. That is, we need to resolve our outstanding issues, and we resolved them today (Monday). Now, we're focusing all our efforts on signings. These negotiations were already underway, and we will continue to seek reinforcements. Flamengo's squad isn't finalized."
"We work honestly and ethically here at Flamengo. If not all clubs work this way, I can't do anything about it, so be it. If this makes our negotiations slower than others, it's a commitment we have."
"Often, the difficulty in hiring isn't financial. Most of the time it can be, but not always. We don't consider the squad to be a done deal and we keep an eye on the market. For example, Bolívar preferred to stay at Internacional. Sometimes you want to, but the player doesn't."
"We've been careful with our signings, also because we have a very good crop of young players. They're being utilized in the professional ranks, and that's a victory for Flamengo. They're an asset to the club, and expectations are very high for them."
Thiago Neves
"We scheduled this interview thinking we would get some kind of statement from Thiago Neves' agent. However, in another interview (given this Monday), he said that negotiations are not over. Flamengo is confident in this, and negotiations are continuing. Everything is in the hands of the agent and the player. They need to take a stand. After all, the decision is theirs. We take their word for it, but that statement hasn't come yet. They need to speak out."
"Flamengo made a good offer, even better than Fluminense's supposed offer. At least that's what they say. We repudiate Fluminense's attitude in this whole story. Flamengo doesn't do that."
"Al Hilal says negotiations are ongoing, there's no new element. We maintain our confidence, and whether we'll pay for it, I don't know. What I can guarantee is that Flamengo keeps its word."
"We started negotiating Thiago Neves' signing beforehand, yes. We sent a proposal to the Arabs, and they sent us a counter-proposal. We sought the guarantees they requested, and we have them. We've already presented them to them. If we've done everything they asked, we're in business. That's the truth. Flamengo has its difficulties, but for this operation (Thiago Neves), it has its investors. We have the money to close the deal now."
"If Thiago Neves stays, he'll be keeping his word. It would be great. The fans have already shown they want him. It's up to him. He'd be welcomed with open arms, as he always has been. With Flamengo, Thiago Neves said he hadn't signed anything. He didn't say it to me, but to us. Initially, he said he'd stay at Flamengo."
Fluminense
"I don't feel comfortable with the Fluminense president's stance. I called him, and he told me he doesn't know anything, that the club's sponsor is in charge of the negotiations. But this creates a problem between the institutions. If they're interested in the player, they admit it. They're blocking the negotiations and inflating the market. This is a disservice to football. This attitude doesn't reflect the good relationship we had between our colleagues here in Rio. That good relationship no longer exists. I contacted the president directly and spoke about Bolívar at the time. He told me he wasn't interested either, just as he wasn't interested in Thiago Neves. But later, I saw an interview with him saying he hadn't spoken to me. This seriously strains our relationship and could have consequences."
"This is nothing like Flamengo's negotiations with Grêmio. Ronaldinho was with Milan, and Flamengo always showed interest in the player. Palmeiras was still there. And the player was the one who made the decision. The player is the one who decides, since the offers are always similar."
"I can't judge, but Fluminense always said throughout the entire process that they would only enter the deal when Flamengo left. Saying they didn't talk to me isn't fair. It's clear they entered the deal. I don't want to dictate how the market should be. Flamengo is interested. If they are, let them speak up. This incident undoubtedly jeopardizes a possible partnership between the clubs in a future Maracanã concession."
Alex Silva
"Alex Silva's actions took everyone by surprise. We don't know why he did this (absent from the trip to Bolivia). Over the next few hours, we will investigate what happened. He has been removed from his position, and the matter has been handed over to the legal department. It was a serious offense."
Deivid
"We acknowledge that we owe Deivid a debt. We never deny it. We pay the signing fees and a portion of what we owe him. We know we owe him, we never deny it, but that doesn't mean he's absent from the squad. We always think about resolving the issues we have with the entire group. We set deadlines and work hard to meet them. And we're succeeding."
Luxembourg
"I think Luxemburgo is following what I said. This isn't the time to talk, but to think about the two decisive games we have in the Libertadores. We talk all the time. And not everything we do pleases everyone. What we try to do here at Flamengo is try to get it right more often."
Wagner Love
"We will always make an effort to sign players who want to play for Flamengo, and Vagner Love fits that profile. Having a player like him will always be our goal."
Ronaldinho
"Assis was with us and will come to Flamengo on Wednesday to sort everything out. Ronaldinho continues to fulfill his commitments to Flamengo. He's doing everything that was agreed upon. The outcome of the entire issue we have with him will be on Wednesday. If we don't reach an agreement with Traffic, Flamengo will resolve it on its own. We've already said we're interested in the player and want to keep him. We hope everything goes well and that Traffic continues to be our partner. If it doesn't work out, we'll look for another alternative. The debt isn't Flamengo's, but the problem is. The important thing to say is that the club has an employment and federation relationship with the player. We have to make this clear to the fans and that Flamengo will fight to keep him on the roster."