In my mind I was already writing up a piece on the perfect timing of my holidays, being far, far away when Palmeiras was eliminated from the SA Cup and biggest rival Corinthians took their fifth Brazilian championship title on the year that the club celebrates its centenada – a century of existence. Then, 16 minutes into the second half of the last match of the season, Emerson put Fluminense ahead against Guarani, securing the title for the carioca team while, at the same time, condemning our nemesis to a year of sem ter nada, which translate into “without having anything”. Someone up there must, finally, have decided that enough is enough. Grazie!
To finalise, a brief comment: in July 2009, Palmeiras signed with three times Brazilian champion coach Muricy Ramalho (2006-2008 with SPFC). Muricy stayed at Palmeiras for only six months, fired in February 2010. Today, he is once again raising the trophy, now as coach for Fluminense. This says less about Muricy’s (undisputed) abilities as a coach, and more about the difficulties in working for Palmeiras. An upcoming and exclusive interview for Anything Palmeiras with midfielder Alex – currently at Fenerbaçhe – serves to reinforce this fact. Let’s hope that Palmeiras, although it seems unlikely, somehow will learn from the experience, avoiding committing the same mistake with Scolari.
