Filipe Luis talks with Chelsea owners revealed after Flamengo sacking
Filipe Luis held talks with Chelsea’s ownership group before he was sacked by Flamengo, according to reports in Brazil.
The 40-year-old, who won the Premier League and League Cup in his single season at Chelsea, guided Flamengo to seven trophies after replacing former Brazil head coach Tite in September 2024.
In what turned out to be his final game in charge, Luis’ Flamengo side sealed an 8-0 win against Madureira to reach the final of the Carioca where they will face Fluminense.
But Flamengo president, Luiz Eduardo Baptista, also referred to as Bap, opted to sack Luis in the early hours of Tuesday morning following the game.
According to UOL Esporte, part of the reason behind the breakdown in relationship between Luis and Baptista was the discovery of his talks with Chelsea’s BlueCo ownership, who had held talks over a move to Strasbourg.
UOL Esporte’s Rodrigo Mattos said: ‘What wasn’t known, and which is information circulating within Flamengo’s board now, is that two weeks ago Bap discovered that Filipe had been negotiating with Chelsea in the meantime.
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‘He negotiated with Chelsea, possibly to work there for the Chelsea group, and during this negotiation, he didn’t speak to Flamengo for about three days.
‘At a certain point, Filipe discovers that – and this is the version within Flamengo, I repeat, I haven’t had time to speak with sources close to Filipe yet – it’s not for Chelsea, but for Strasbourg, which is the club in the group, and upon discovering this, he returns to the negotiating table with Flamengo.
‘I think it’s normal for him to have negotiations with another club to eventually switch clubs. But Bap discovered this two weeks ago, felt deceived, and the relationship, which already had cracks, became even more turbulent, which generates very little patience for bad results.’
Meanwhile, in an audio recording circulating among Flamengo’s hierarchy, which was leaked to the media in Brazil, Baptista explained the reasons behind the decision to sack Luis.
‘What’s being said really happened, but it’s not the main reason. Everyone has the right to talk and evaluate what’s best for themselves. I have no doubt that this happens not only with Filipe, but with other guys as well,’ Baptista said in the recording.
‘In my view, it’s like this: when you get on the wrong train in life, you know what you have to do? Get off at the first possible station and go back. My unwavering commitment is to the institution, to Flamengo.
‘When I don’t believe that what’s being done will take Flamengo to where we want it to be, I have to act. That’s exactly what I did. I’m intervening fundamentally because I believe that, considering everything that was being done, we weren’t going in the direction I consider appropriate for the institution.’
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