Opinion – Sandro Macedo: Good luck to the loser of the final between Flamengo and Palmeiras

Imagine the biggest tournament on the continent being decided between the champion of the penultimate edition against the champion of the last. It would practically be a dream ending. A Champions League between Bayern Munich and Chelsea? Guaranteed play.

But can you think that the loser of this game would go into crisis? Would the position of Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea’s German teacher, be at risk after two consecutive finals for the English club?

Cut to the end of Libertadores. It is even difficult to explain to a citizen who does not know the reality of Brazilian football, but the loser of the duel between Palmeiras (current champion) and Flamengo (winner of 2019) will fall into an immediate crisis.

The topic has already been mentioned by colleagues/PVC idols, Juca Kfouri and Tostão, but it is such an absurd cretin that it needs to be addressed again.

If Palmeiras lose – the same Palmeiras who dramatically won the Libertadores this year, in January, with a goal in stoppage time –, Portuguese teacher Abel Ferreira will probably lose along with the patience he has left and must leave the club and the country. “I don’t even take synthetic grass from this land” may be your last sentence. President Leila would promote the famous boat to dispatch part of the cast. The team will be received with protests from the organized twisters, who will ask for so-and-so’s head, so-and-so’s left foot, so-and-so’s kidney and so on…

And Flamengo, our Tupiniquim PSG –the same Flamengo who was dramatically champion of the Libertadores in 2020 with a goal in stoppage time–, would escape unscathed from a defeat at the Centenário stadium in Montevideo? Not by decree. Professor Renato Portaluppi from Rio Grande do Sul will probably leave the R$ 200 million club without any trophies.

If he doesn’t, Marcos Braz will be forced to spend Christmas and New Year in the middle of a pandemic European continent to look for a new coach.

Organized stragglers will dub some player “slipper” and will not accept a loss to a lower-ranking team – criticism that could be made against any opponent.

The only explanation for a gringo to understand this scenario would be: dear friend, it’s not acceptable to be second around here. All that’s left is to wish good luck and good judgment… To the loser.

The Best

FIFA released the pre-list of 9 players + Cristiano Ronaldo + Messi for The Best award, for best last season. If the award were given before the start of the current season, the campaign for Jorginho (Chelsea/Italy) would be strong. But this scribe thinks it’s at least strange to give the honor to the player who isn’t even the best defensive midfielder on his team, in which a certain Kanté plays. And any mortal who takes the prize other than Salah will be unfair.

But the award will only be revealed next year. These people from Europe manage to take longer than a Libertadores to give a prize.