Exactly a decade after the painful relegation of 2002, we’re at it again. This time it hurts less, possibly because we’ve gotten used to the ultimate price of our archaic club structure and saw it coming from miles away. Still, relegation is undeniably a crisis that rocks the club and the Palmeiras brand in many ways – operationally, financially, emotionally – in addition to marking millions of supporters.
Recent events don’t keep president Tirone from repeatedly asserting that “we’re on the right track”, as yesterday night when faced with the fact of relegation. Although with tears in his eyes, he concluded that “the club today is calmer, the bookkeeping in order and that everything necessary has been done correctly”. Tirone sees no shadow over him or his directors.
One can easily imagine a dozen suitable activities for a president of a football club the size of Palmeiras indulge in the day after relegation: greeting players upon their return to São Paulo; set up meetings with directors, staff and associates; participate in press conferences; launch new campaigns and action plans; contact partners and sponsors; you name it.
President Tirone chose a different approach. He took a day off on the beach of Leblon, Rio de Janeiro. Now that’s what I call crisis management. No, wait, my bad: there is no crisis, right Tirone? Right. .
2011 proved bad on the pitch and even worse off it. Spit it out and embrace 2012. Not that the near future’s looking that much brighter, but at least it’s a new year. With new opportunities to make things a little more difficult for those doing their best to drag Palmeiras in the mud.
The yanks use to say that it ain’t over ’till the fat lady sings. Let me add: while there are still little kids singing the Palmeiras hymn like in the clip to your right, while there’s blood running in our veins, while there’s still breath in our lungs, Palmeiras – i.e. us supporters, the true core – will stand up to internal and external threats of extermination and rise above and beyond. The institution is larger than all of us and certainly larger than the amateurs currently in charge of it.
2011 fundamentally brought two positive things: the ever accelerating construction of the New Arena and the not only strengthened but also more coordinated political opposition to the archaic rulers and structures within Palmeiras. Maintaining and advancing further in these two areas are key to the fundamental changes that I and many with me envision for the Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras.
Happy New Year to all of you visiting this space! Happy New Year to your families and loved ones! See you all in 2012!
AVANTI PALESTRA! SCOPPIA CHE LA VITTORIA È NOSTRA!
No beating around the bush: of course something is dead wrong. Palmeiras have continued creating multiple opportunities and, at least partially, dominate the opponent in every game as of late, but the outcome is never as expected. Yesterday’s clash with Internacional was typical, however also exaggerated: Palmeiras had 30-something attempts at scoring, Internacional only nine. An ever so inspired Leandro Damião – possibly the best striker currently in Brazil – is only part of the explanation for yesterday’s embarrassing defeat before the 9.000 head strong [sic] home crowd. Palmeiras are in a peculiar and bad shape. Game highlights below.
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Fingers are being pointed in every direction. Some blame players for lack of dedication, some blame players for lacking skill; in the end, it all falls back on the directors who brought them to Palmeiras in the first place. Some blame Luis Felipe Scolari for not being able to get the team right or for employing the wrong tactics. Some blame it on the referees, some blame the media, others think Palmeiras’ directors are too passive on the political arena.
In the end, it’s all the above and more. Without a doubt, Palmeiras are no ordinary club. The political landscape and the structure of the stakeholders, the statute, the conglomeration of counsellors; everything comes together to form an ambience very ill suited for focusing on the essentials for any football club: building a strong and confident team.
While the political winds of change slowly pick up speed, a few thing need to be done on the ground. One of the most important is exposing those (unfortunately rather numerous) individuals within the club itself who first and foremost seek their own interest and are more than happy to harm Palmeiras if it serves their purposes.
In addition, true palmeirenses need to work ever closer together, find common ground and encourage those who strive for a better Palmeiras. One can even approve or disapprove of Scolari as a coach, but his dedication is indisputable; something which recently led a group of supporters from the political fractions Fanfulla and Pro-Palmeiras to address Scolari openly – not only to show their support but also to let him in on some less known strings-pulling happening behind the scenes.
The situation is complicated and currently going from bad to worse. Still, one need to have a look around, as it’s natural for any dedicated supporter to develop a bit of tunnel vision at times. Is there a crises at Botafogo, who on Wednesday beat Ceará 4-0 and yesterday were thrashed 5-0 by Coritiba? Is everything lost for Flamengo, who was the last undefeated team and in the top three for many weeks before starting to draw and now have lost four straight games? The Brazilian championship is a long competition, teams go through many phases, many ups and downs. We need patience. Let the man work. While we all stay alert, making sure that we’re pointing our finger in the right direction. And preparing ourselves for the days to come. Because they will. Oh, they will.
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Speaking of tunnels: at the end of ours there’s one beautiful light, for the time being called “New Arena”. We’ll address some very interesting prospects in tomorrow’s post. Stay tuned!
