The biggest club competition in South America kicks-off this week, as twelve clubs take part in the first-stage in an attempt to qualify for the group phase. Amongst the sides in contention will be Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo, who take on Real Potosi in Bolivia. Flamengo are Brazil’s best-supported club, a true giant of the South American game, yet there have been chaotic scenes at the club in recent times that threaten to destroy the club’s chances this season before it has begun.
The 2011 season was a mixed-bag for the Rubro-Negro, with patches of almost irresistible form swamped by insipid performances that saw them crash out of the Copa Sudamericana and struggle to keep pace with the top teams in the league, having made a promising start. The results would have been unremarkable for most sides, but this was a Flamengo side containing the likes of international stars Ronaldinho and Thiago Neves.
However, the summer has not been kind to Flamenguistas, with little good news emerging from the confines of the club’s Gavea training ground. The club’s first priority for the off-season was to arrange permanent deals for loanees Felipe and Thiago Neves. The deals could have been sorted last season, but the board were conspicuously slow off the mark in making any progress, eventually sealing a deal for Felipe in routine fashion, but failing to meet a pre-arranged value for Thiago Neves from Saudi side Al-Hilal.
The saga rumbled on for weeks, with the player’s owners refusing to on their valuation and Flamengo lacking any urgency to get a deal done. There was a complacency shown by the Carioca side, as if signing Thiago Neves was their divine right, despite the fact that the exclusive buy-out clause of his loan deal had already expired. However, their confidence was misplaced as come January, with little progress made, Thiago Neves signed for his former club Fluminense – Fla’s fierce rivals.
The loss of Thiago Neves was devastating for Flamengo fans, with little sign of further reinforcements in the immediate future, yet it was about to get worse.
Over the last twelve months, Flamengo have played to the tune of Ronaldinho, both on-and-off the pitch. The idea of a former-World Player of the Year in your side is of course an attractive one, yet when it comes to Ronaldinho it is never that simple. The former-Barcelona man started his second-spell in Brazil poorly, receiving much criticism for a lack of commitment to the cause. A renaissance ensued, with the pony-tailed superstar enjoying a purple patch of games mid-season that saw a return to the national team set-up. Yet, the trip to London for an encounter with Ghana was almost the catalyst for his collapse, as the form he had shown for a period of a dozen mid-season games subsided, as did Flamengo’s title-challenge.
Off-the pitch it was no better. It is now five months since Ronaldinho received his payment in full, after Flamengo and investors Traffic fell-out over the terms of the star’s deal. With his pay reduced, so has the striker’s commitment, causing conflict with the club’s strict manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo. Just last week, the former-Real Madrid boss and Ronaldinho’s relationship came to a new low, after the manager caught the star having a woman in his room overnight at a training camp. Luxemburgo was justifiably incensed, leaving Ronaldinho with his ego hurt. What has happened since threatens to divide the club, with the star midfielder effectively stating that the club must choose between himself and the boss, aware of his importance to the club’s marketing strategy.
Flamengo has proved too small for the two sizeable egos and once the first-leg of the crucial Libertadores tie in Bolivia is completed, there may well be a decisive outcome. Ronaldinho is not the only major figure to prove hard-to-manage for the club, with key defender Alex Silva also on his way out after skipping training. Ill-discipline was a major issue at Flamengo last campaign and it appears to be continuing into 2012, with the poor attitude alarmingly prevelent amongst the most senior players, including the captain, Ronaldinho.
The last few days have provided some optimism for the fans, with a convincing State Championships victory to celebrate, including a goal for 17-year old starlet Adryan, wearing a Flamengo football kit for the first time at senior level. Universidad de Chile defender Marcos González has also signed for the club, having been voted the best defender in South America in 2011, whilst a deal for fan favourite Vagner Love is getting closer. But, there is still a shadow hanging over the club and until the ‘Ronaldinho problem’ is solved, there may continue to be.
In Europe, it would be a simple case of moving on a failing former-star who is proving little use to the club on the pitch and threatening to tear it apart off it. Yet, this is Brazil, where manager’s are dispensable and star players are the currency in which team presidents trade. Something must be done, but it remains to be seen if the inevitable departure of Vanderlei Luxemburgo is the catalyst for improvement. It is tempting to believe that until the Flamengo board look past an unerring blindness to Ronaldinho’s faults, little will improve for the Rio giants.