When defending the club’s economic power, the red-black president talks about ‘reciprocity’ in stadiums and becomes the target of criticism for a statement considered misogynistic
The president of Flamengo, Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, adopted a tough and provocative tone during a meeting with club members on Tuesday night (23), in the main hall of Gávea. At the meeting, broadcast on Flamengo TV, the director took stock of the first year of management, praised the club’s financial strength, attacked rivals and made an offensive statement against a TV Globo journalist.
Bap stated that Flamengo ended 2025 with revenues exceeding R$2 billion and announced that the club will not allow competitors to invest more in signings in the next windows. According to him, even in a scenario without titles, Rubro-Negro would have enough financial margin to maintain high investments in football.
“Flamengo has the strength and muscle to go much further. We will correct the course and we will not let anyone spend more than us in Brazil in any window”, he said. The director also highlighted that the club could reach the Top 10 of the highest revenues in world football in the coming years.
When comparing recent investments, Bap stated that Flamengo was more efficient than rivals such as Palmeiras and Botafogo, who spent larger amounts on signings. For him, there is a direct relationship between titles and investment volume, which would justify even higher contributions from 2026 onwards.
The president also criticized the model of Football Societies (SAFs), stating that he believes that Flamengo will be, in 2029, the only major Brazilian club that will not adopt this format. Without mentioning names directly — with the exception of Atlético-MG —, Bap stated that some directors use the SAF as a strategy to take control of clubs after putting them in debt. When showing what Mengão needs to do to remain at the top, he used as examples “the illusion of the sovereign” — a clear reference to São Paulo — and “governance deficit”, understood as criticism of Corinthians. “The guy is a champion of everything, wins the stadium, doesn’t pay and ten years later he’s broke.”
In addition to statements about finances and management, Bap once again poked at opponents when talking about Maracanã’s infrastructure. He promised “reciprocal” treatment to visiting fans, citing Palmeiras and Atlético-MG, and criticized the use of protective nets in rival stadiums. “If you receive us with that shitty network, there will be a worse and more closed network at Maracanã. Whoever treats Flamengo well will be treated well when they come to play here. Throw a stone at us and we’ll throw a mountain at you. That’s going to be the level.”
The biggest negative repercussion of the night, however, came when it came to women’s football. When commenting on the difference in income and investments compared to men, Bap directly attacked journalist Renata Mendonça, from TV Globo, whom he referred to pejoratively as “nose”. He did not mention his name, but the speech comes after criticism made by the journalist about Flamengo’s structure and investments in the sport. TV Globo released a statement repudiating the attack, classifying the statement as gratuitous and misogynistic, and reaffirming its respect for women and professional criticism that does not involve personal offenses.
