Palmeiras winning the Campeonato Paulista title on Sunday night (8), ending a 700-day hiatus without cups, contributed to strengthening the relationship between Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira and the club’s president, Leila Pereira.
Started in November 2020, with the hiring of the then unknown Portuguese coach by the Alviverde association, the relationship between the coach and the manager — then the club’s sponsor — went through ups and downs throughout this period.
Although winning titles naturally plays a very important role in maintaining coexistence between the two, Abel also made a point of praising the club president’s leadership and way of working, especially in comparison to other teams in Brazil.
“I talk a lot about us. This is a work that is not mine, it is ours. It is a work that is done from the vision of our president, who has the ability to read the competence of her professionals and support them”, said the coach to CazéTV still on the lawn of the Jorge Ismael de Biasi Stadium, in Novo Horizonte, where Palmeiras won 2-1 to confirm their 27th state title.
“Perhaps, in a last year with three vice-presidents [do Campeonato Paulista, para o Corinthians, e da Copa Libertadores e do Campeonato Brasileiro, para o Flamengo]in any club in Brazil he would have been fired. But the club’s difference here is that we have processes”, added the coach.
Abel’s statements came six days after Flamengo — the main protagonist of Brazilian football alongside Palmeiras in recent years — fired coach Filipe Luís, just hours after the red-and-black team beat Madureira 8-0 in the Carioca semifinals.
Having won six cups with the club in around a year and a half in office, Filipe Luís was dismissed after finishing runners-up in the Supercopa do Brasil, beaten in the decision by Corinthians, and in the Recopa Sul-Americana, defeated by Lanús, from Argentina.
With a strained relationship with Flamengo’s board, Leila Pereira had also criticized the way in which Filipe Luís’ dismissal was handled.
“I’ve seen several clubs doing these things. I think it’s an absurd lack of respect to dismiss any employee in the heat of things, 1 am, 2 am. That’s never happened here, especially because I’ve never fired and I hope not to fire our coach,” said the manager.
“Many managers make decisions to play for the fans, to look good, or even for some journalists. I don’t have that profile. We have already dismissed Palmeiras employees, but no one has ever been disrespected. Respect and credibility are what will make a difference if we want better football”, added the president of Palmeiras.
This Sunday, after the title over Novorizontino, Leila once again praised Abel Ferreira’s work leading the team and asked the coach in a good-natured way for more achievements.
“I was really abstinent from winning titles. I’m not used to that. I told Abel that I want at least one title a year. He owes one from last year, so he has to have at least a second [neste ano]”, said the leader with a laugh.
“Abel Ferreira is the greatest coach in the history of Palmeiras. Screw what others think. That’s what the president thinks,” said Leila Pereira.
With the Paulista title, Abel reached his 11th championship trophy with Palmeiras, surpassing Osvaldo Brandão to isolate himself as the most successful coach in the history of the Palestine club.
Between 2020 and 2024, the Portuguese coach collected three Paulista cups (2022, 2023 and 2024), two from the Brazilian Championship (2022 and 2023) and two from the Copa Libertadores (2020 and 2021), in addition to one from the Copa do Brasil (2020), one from the Supercopa do Brasil (2023) and one from the Recopa Sul-Americana (2022).
Among the main competitions, Abel didn’t just win the Club World Cup with Palmeiras — he even advanced to the final in 2021, when the team lost 2-1 to Chelsea.
“I am eternally grateful and, I insist, Abel is the greatest coach in the history of Palmeiras. Not only because of the titles we celebrated together but because of his working method, for the person he is, for the obsession he has with winning. I am very happy to be here and we still have many chapters in our history. May it be infinite while it lasts, as Vinicius de Moraes said”, said Leila Pereira at the end of last year, during a ceremony in honor of Abel’s five years in charge of Palmeiras.
Despite the successful trajectory, the marriage between club and coach almost came to an end after winning the 2023 Brazilian Championship, when the Portuguese received a very high offer from Al Sadd – he even visited the Qatari club during his vacation, but ended up choosing to continue his work in Brazil.
