Flamengo’s obsession was to convince Jorge Jesus to leave Benfica and return to Rio de Janeiro, where he won 5 titles between 2019 and 2020, including the Copa Libertadores… but the incorporation of another Portuguese coach has ended: Paulo sousa, who runs the Polish team.
The indecision of Jorge Jesus, who has one foot out of Benfica, ended the patience of the two Flamengo negotiators displaced to Portugal: the vice president of football, Marcos Braz, and the CEO, Bruno spindel. And the ‘duo’ chose to hire Sousa, who was enthusiastic about the possibility of being able to direct the Rio Negro, which in 2022 will go out to play, once again, all the titles with one of the best squads on the continent.
Sousa, 51, will pay out of pocket for his termination clause with the Polish Federation and will sign for two seasons (2022 and 2023). His resignation as coach has fallen like a bomb in Poland, where he is accused of being a deserter. It should not be forgotten that, in March, he would have to start leading the Poles in the play-offs for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, in a first tie against Russia.
The interest of the Porto Alegre International so that Sousa take the place of dismissed Diego Aguirre precipitated events. Flamengo did not want to be left without Jorge Jesus or Paulo Sousa.
The first surprised by the agreement was Jorge Jesus, who had asked the Rio Negro for a few more days to decide what his future would be. The charismatic coach, who is at odds with his president, Rui Costa, live a moment of great uncertainty with the Incarnates.
His latest disappointment is having been beaten by Porto (3-0) in the round of 16 in the Cup. And, this Thursday, Benfica will visit the Dragao stadium again, in a league match. A new win would place the coach in an untenable situation, no matter how much he is classified for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
