Luiz Eduardo Baptista and Leila Pereira were together at the headquarters of Conmebol (South American Football Confederation) last month, at a meeting of representatives of the Copa Libertadores semi-finalist clubs. Those who followed the interaction between the president of Flamengo and the president of Palmeiras, in Luque, Paraguay, pointed out that it was full of “fifth grade moments”.
Bap, as Baptista is known, even went to Leila’s table at lunch. He greeted the other diners and, with his back to her, without acknowledging her presence, he exchanged pleasantries with a member of the confederation. Leila, in turn, while Bap was speaking in a meeting, used her cell phone, in a deliberate demonstration of disinterest.
This is what the relationship between the representatives of the teams that have been dominating Brazilian football has been like. There are disputes at all levels, in a bellicose atmosphere involving players, coaches and fans, but nothing is as illustrative of the issue as the exchange of attacks between the presidents.
What was already tense became openly hostile with the design of the final stretch of the season. Flamengo and Palmeiras compete head to head for the Brazilian Championship title – with eight rounds to go, the Alviverde team is one point ahead. And the associations will compete on the 29th, in Lima, Peru, for the Libertadores decision.
There is also another battle front, the fight for money from the Brazilian broadcasting rights. The two clubs are part of the block called Libra (Brazilian Football League) and have differences regarding the division of the pie.
According to the block’s regulations for the 2025-2029 cycle, 40% is distributed equally, 30% is distributed according to the competition’s classification, and 30% is distributed based on the TV audience. It is in this 30% that the disagreement lies, as Flamengo points out gaps in the criteria adopted.
The red-black association even managed to obtain an injunction blocking R$77 million that would have been allocated by Libra to its members. It was the password for the discussions to reach publicly aggressive tones.
Leila used the term “terraflanismo” and suggested the creation of a league without the Rio red-black team: “I think Flamengo should play alone.” Bap replied: “If Flamengo were to play alone, the money that would be left for others would be very little.”
He pointed out that the relationship with the president of Palmeiras “is great when you agree with everything she wants”. In a meeting of Flamengo’s Deliberative Council whose contents were leaked, she said that the businesswoman has a “clear agenda” to buy Vasco – her company, Crefisa, made a loan of R$80 million to Cruzmaltino, with club shares as collateral.
“President Bap is right when he says that I have a very clear agenda. After all, everyone knows that I defend Palmeiras’ interests without trying to suffocate my opponents, that I work hard for the growth of Brazilian football and that I honor all contracts signed by the club”, he said.
Then came new irony. In reference to the fact that Bap, in his days as an executive at the telecommunications company Sky, minimized the growth of the now giant Netflix and said he would buy it if necessary, she joked: “I’m not buying Vasco, he can rest assured. I’m not buying Vasco or Netflix.”
Bap, in turn, treated the opponent’s behavior, especially with regard to the idea of Flamengo “playing alone”, as a “small talk even for fifth-grade children”. Days later, at the meeting in Paraguay, Bap and Leila renewed their commitment to the fifth series.
Meanwhile, there is football.
The hostile atmosphere was evident among the players in Flamengo’s 3-2 victory over Palmeiras, at Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro, on the 19th, in the Brazilian Championship. It was a nervous game, with harsh tackles and complaints about the refereeing.
Palmeiras felt harmed, and their coach, Abel Ferreira, was furious. In response, the red and black coach, Filipe Luís, noted that the black and white team had won, shortly before, a classic against São Paulo with errors so clear that they resulted in the referee and video referee being removed. “Let’s face it, if there’s anyone who can’t complain about arbitration, it’s Palmeiras.”
The animosity between the fans comes into this mix, the result of recent battles and networks established long ago between those organized. Mancha Verde, Palmeiras’ main uniform, is an ally of Força Jovem, of Vasco, Flamengo’s arch-rival. Flamengo’s Torcida Jovem has Independente, from São Paulo, an enemy of Palmeiras, as a partner.
This web is nothing new. What is new in the world of social media is the war between journalists identified with each side. The Bap x Leila logic applies to members of the press, with aggressive and public exchanges of messages.
Flamengo and Palmeiras have had moments of fierce rivalry in recent years, with disputes over Brazilian and South American titles – in 2021, in the Libertadores, it was Palmeiras. But the bristles have never been as bristly as those of players, coaches, trainers and presidents are now.
