Tokyo Olympic Games
Three Palmeiras players were on Olympic team coach André Jardine’s pre-list: goalkeeper Weverton, right-back/midfielder Gabriel Menino and defensive midfielder Patrick de Paula. Last week, the final list was announced, only featuring Menino: Palmeiras had in advance told the CBF that Weverton would not be released as he already plays for the National team, and de Paula did not make the cut.
Now, Brazil’s national team coach Pia Sundhage called up three Palmeiras players for the Olympic games: defender Rafaelle, midfielder Julia Bianchi and forward Bia Zaneratto. Brazil is in Group F together with China, Zambia and the Netherlands, debuting against China in Miyagi on 21 July, followed by the Netherlands on 24 July (also Miyagi) then Zambia, in Saitama, on 27 July.
Contrary to the female League, neither the male Brasileirão nor the Libertadores Cup take a break during The Tokyo Games; affected teams will be without their players for five rounds of the Brasileirão and the two round-of-16 Libertadores games.
The Ladies
Speaking of the female Brasileirão, today marked the end of the 15-round first phase of the competition, with Palmeiras remaining the only undefeated team in the tournament after beating Minas Brasília 2-3 away to finish second in the tables, one point behind Corinthians. Palmeiras striker Bia Zaneratto is the competitions top scorer with 14 goals. The best eight teams are through to the knockout phase, and the quarter-finals fixture, with dates tbc, are as follows:
– Corinthians (1º) x Avaí/Kindermann (8º)
– Palmeiras (2º) x Grêmio (7º)
– São Paulo (3º) x Internacional (6º)
– Santos (4º) x Ferroviária (5º)
Negotiation time
Palmeiras have extended Rony’s contract with one more year, until the end of 2025. The new agreement raises his salary and increases the release fee.
Raphael Veiga is also set to extend his contract by another year, until the end of 2024. Just as with Rony, salaries and release fee are to be adjusted.
Willian had his contract extended with one more year. The forward received a formal offer from Fluminense, but Willian’s desire to stay at Palmeiras, paired with coach Ferreira’s wish to keep him, got the upper hand.
The situation of Felipe Melo and Jaílson is uncertain and as of July, the duo can sign pre-contracts with other teams. Both have previously stated they would like to renew with Palmeiras, but directors are concerned with the cost/benefit. What might weight in their favour is their experience and positive influence on the youngster in the squad, that clearly need role models.
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ANYTHING PALMEIRAS 