Corinthians deleted, around 7pm (Brasília time) this Thursday (29/01), one of the announcements about the hiring of Kaio César on the social network X after the publication provoked a strong reaction from citizens of Saudi Arabia. The revolt was caused by the way the country’s flag appeared in the art published by the club, considered offensive because it contained a shoe on top of the flag. In the image, Timão showed an airport x-ray, with shoes over the Al-Hilal shirt and the Saudi Arabian flag.
The post quickly received criticism from Saudi users, who classified the image as disrespectful to the Islamic faith. According to them, the flag of Saudi Arabia bears sacred inscriptions and cannot be displayed in a way that suggests dirt or dishonor, which raised the tone of demands for the content to be removed. On the flag there is the inscription: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.”
Faced with the negative international repercussion, Corinthians chose to delete the publication hours later, without officially commenting on the episode.
For those who didn’t see the controversy earlier in Kaio César’s announcement.
Corinthians performed an animation with the Al Hilal shirt and the Saudi Arabian flag becoming the Corinthians and Brazil shirts.
However: There was a shoe on top of the Al Hilal and Saudi Arabia shirt, and the… pic.twitter.com/a88JpKCmUM
— DataFut (@DataFutebol) January 29, 2026
Despite the controversy, the hiring of Kaio César is maintained. The striker arrives at the club on loan until the end of the 2026 season and becomes Timão’s fourth reinforcement for the year. Before him, defender Gabriel Paulista, right-back Pedro Milans and midfielder Matheus Pereira had already been announced.
Kaio César: value and contract period
Kaio César, 21 years old, signed with Corinthians on loan until December. Timão will pay the player’s salaries during the period and has a fixed amount for the definitive acquisition. The amount is 6 million euros (R$37.6 million).
The player arrived in Brazil last Monday (26/01), underwent medical examinations and has already been registered with the Brazilian Football Confederation. With the publication of his name in the Daily Newsletter (BID), Kaio will be available to the technical committee and could make his debut in the Super Cup, this Sunday (1st), against Flamengo, in Brasília.
The striker’s arrival responds to the squad’s search for more speed and depth on the sides of the field. Left-handed, Kaio preferably plays on the right side of the attack, exploring one-on-one and diagonal infiltrations. For Al-Hilal, he played 34 matches, scored four goals and distributed six assists.
Before his time in Saudi football, the player stood out in Portuguese football, which accelerated his appreciation in the market. In 2024, Al-Hilal invested around 10 million euros to sign him, signing a contract valid until June 2028. In the current 2025/2026 season, Kaio has played 14 games, including five as a starter, with one goal and three assists.
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