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Flamengo thrashed Madureira, 8-0, on Monday night (2nd), securing a spot in the final of the Campeonato Carioca.
Soon after the match, the red-and-black board announced the dismissal of coach Filipe Luís.
Behind the scenes, the club already has advanced negotiations to announce the Portuguese Leonardo Jardim as his replacement, according to information from UOL.
The surprise of the dismissal
Filipe Luís was caught off guard by the dismissal.
Even though he was aware of the fans’ dissatisfaction—which led to boos during the rout at Maracanã—and the board’s, after friction during the contract renewal process, the coach expected to remain, at least for now, in charge of Fla.
There were no prior signs that the dismissal would happen at that moment, to the point that the coach was unable to say goodbye to the players in the locker room—he will go to Ninho do Urubu this Tuesday (3rd) for that.
According to UOL, the coach was informed of his departure by the club’s football director, José Boto, right after the post-match press conference at Maracanã.
Despite coming off a victorious year, in which he won the Carioca, the Copa do Brasil (in 2024), the Brasileirão and the Libertadores (in 2025), Filipe Luís had been under pressure after losing the Supercopa do Brasil and Recopa Sudamericana titles at the start of 2026.
President Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, had already decided on the change in command after the Recopa runner-up finish to Lanús last Thursday.
In an official statement, the club thanked him for his services.
"Clube de Regatas do Flamengo announces that, as of this Tuesday (3rd), Filipe Luís will no longer be the head coach of the professional team... Flamengo thanks the former player and coach Filipe Luís for everything that was achieved and shared on this journey."
Along with the coach, assistant coach Ivan Palanco and fitness coach Diogo Linhares are also leaving the club.
Leonardo Jardim on track
To replace the former left-back, the chosen name is Leonardo Jardim, formerly of Cruzeiro.
Representatives of the Portuguese coach are already in Rio de Janeiro and met with the red-and-black board even before the match against Madureira.
Jardim had been away from football for personal reasons since leaving the Minas Gerais team, but was enticed by the possibility of coaching Flamengo and by the project presented.
The hiring of the Portuguese coach has long been a wish of president Bap, who had already sounded him out when Filipe Luís’s renewal dragged on last year.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.