Abel Ferreira was a commentator and spoke against bankers before Palmeiras

The first European coach to reach two consecutive Libertadores finals, Abel Ferreira is trying to lift the continental cup once again with Palmeiras this Saturday (27), against Flamengo, at 5 pm, in Montevideo, Uruguay.

The title would crown an agitated journey and marked, in large part, by his crusade against a portion of the press. It wasn’t always like this, however.

If today the 42-year-old Portuguese sits on the bench, for a brief period of his life he was in another position: with a more privileged view of the countryside, straight from the television broadcast booths.

When he criticizes the work of Brazilian commentators, Abel does so knowingly, according to people who followed his time on TV.

As soon as he left his first experience as a coach, when he was fired from Sporting’s base in 2014, the former right-back then started commenting on games for Sport TV, the main cable TV sports broadcaster in Portugal. It took a few months in the role, but enough to open up new professional horizons.

“I think he could have had a future and, more than that, he was left with the desire to do more,” says reporter Carlos Rodrigues, who participated in several broadcasts alongside him. “After he left our channel to work at Braga, we met him many times, and he said he wouldn’t close the door and he was sure he would come back to comment later on,” he adds.

At the time, Abel had returned to his hometown, Penafiel, and was following the routine of most local journalists, traveling by car with his colleagues to matches. In its scale it had, above all, duels of the first and second Portuguese divisions.

With a more sober style and less inclined to any comment that escaped what was happening on the lawn, he stood out for the precise reading he made of the games.

Far from any arrogance that could come from the solid career he built as an athlete, the captain from Palma was truly obsessed with feedback about his performance on camera.

“He was always asking for feedback and I noticed over time that these feedbacks were not just for him to be a better commentator, but also for when he returned to the position of coach – and he was convinced that he would achieve great projects – to be more prepared in his communication”, says Rodrigues.

“We went to Chaves once, for the second division, and we caught Abel on the way, in Penafiel. On that day, he spent the entire journey asking questions like the coach I most liked to talk to at the end of the matches, if I preferred those who responded more strongly or others more polite, which had enjoyed interviewing more, which had enjoyed less. He was clearly studying me,” he continues, laughing.

“Among the commentators we had, he was, without a doubt, the most curious I found. He carried a genuine interest and made extreme preparation for the games,” he adds.

Possibly for this reason, Abel does not accept today any analysis that he deems to be shallow about the work he has kept at Palmeiras since he signed from PAOK, in Greece, in October of last year.

The strong style, often aggressive, is not exclusive, however, of his relationship with opinion makers in Brazil. A few years ago, at an event with his fellow countrymen in Penafiel, he even spoke against bankers.

“I usually say that we have to follow suit. When I look at our city these days, you have bankers and, at the same time, people suffering to pay 100,000 euros (BRL 629,000) over a lifetime, running the risk that, if they don’t pay off an installment, mortgage everything and anything else. And, on the other hand, we watch individuals who steal in a scandalous way and get away with it. It makes me sad,” he said, drawing applause from the audience.

This facet that reveals his personality more clearly was hidden for a large part of his career as a side. Until he ended it early, at the age of 31, because of an injury at Sporting, Abel practically didn’t carry any out-of-field dispute.

“Honestly, he was never a person who attracted attention for his temperament. As a player, he was always very calm in relation to the press”, recalls Carlos Freitas, football director responsible for bringing him from Braga to Sporting and then for his transition to coaching.

“Now, I understand everything (what is happening in Brazil). I understand who asks, but I also understand the reactions of those who respond. Because the degree of demand of a coach these days, I don’t say it’s daily, but it’s almost that. A professional who is ahead of Palmeiras, he has to give an interview before and after the game at the Brazilian Nationals, the same at Libertadores, in other words, it’s tremendous pressure in a country that breathes football and also has an aggressive press,” he continues.

“I would say that there is no abnormality in the dynamics of this relationship”, he concludes.

With queries coming from abroad, Abel does not have his continuity assured at Palmeiras at the end of Libertadores. Whatever the outcome of his story, however, Freitas envisions a more valued coach than when he arrived in Brazil.

“He will surely come out stronger and more prepared. He went through another continent, another culture and Palmeiras is a club with a completely different weight than any he has coached before”, he concludes.