The Beautiful Game turned ugly on July 29, 2023, when news broke of a shocking incident involving Pablo Fernández, the physical trainer for Flamengo, and one of the team’s players, Pedro. The fallout still resonates with Jorge Sampaoli, the team’s coach at the time.
A Turning Point
Sampaoli recalled the moment as a turning point for the team. “That’s when everything fell apart,” he said in an interview with Globo Esporte. The team had been on a hot streak, winning 16 games, drawing 7, and losing only 4 under his leadership. But after the incident, the tide turned. They got knocked out of the Libertadores, lost the Copa do Brasil final, and Sampaoli’s numbers dipped to 4 wins, 4 draws, and 4 losses in the remaining 12 games.
A situation like this wasn’t new to Sampaoli, but the media frenzy surrounding it was overwhelming. “What happened has happened many times in many places,” he said. “But this time, it blew up in our faces. A moment of anger turned into a full-blown discussion that ended badly. Unfortunately for us, that day marked the beginning of the end.”
Losing a Key Player
The incident not only damaged the team’s morale but also cost them a key member of their technical staff. “We lost Pablo, one of the best professionals in the world,” Sampaoli lamented. “We were functioning well as a team, and his departure was a significant blow. Everything that happened after that was devastating for us.”
The team’s performance on the field suffered, and the once-promising season slowly unraveled. Sampaoli’s experience serves as a reminder that even the smallest incidents can have far-reaching consequences in the high-stakes world of professional sports.
