Brazilian full-back Marcelo has had his contract terminated by Fluminense after a heated confrontation with his coach during a match against Gremio.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
- Marcelo released by Gremio after disagreement with Menezes
- The left back was about to be brought on as a substitute
- Coach pushed him back to bench after confrontation
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Fluminense opted to tear up his deal after an altercation with coach Mano Menezes just before he was set to be brought onto the pitch in the late stages of a 2-2 draw with Gremio.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Marcelo, who won the Champions League five times with Madrid, was set to be substituted on late in the second half of the Brazilian Serie A fixture. However, as manager Menezes appeared to be giving him instructions, the Brazilian looked disinterested, at one point looking away from his manager. He then proceeded to say something unintelligable to those watching, and Menezes clearly took exception to it. The coach soon started pushing Marcelo back towards the bench, and ordered another substitute to get ready in his place. Fluminense have since confirmed that Marcelo has been released.
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WHAT MENEZES SAID
“I was going to put Marcelo in at that point, but I heard something I didn’t like and changed my mind," Menezes explained after the game. "I put [John Kennedy] on the wing, he’s a strong player so you have a way out. We’ve always had a way out. I don’t think it was because he came in that the team had any kind of problem. It’s not easy to come in at that point in the game, you know that, it’s a game-ending moment. He wasn’t coming in to solve any problems, he was coming in to maintain what we had. And there were two or three minutes left in the game."
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WHAT NEXT?
Fluminense currently lie 12th in Serie A after 32 games, a position that should they maintain will be their lowest finish since 2019. However, they have a talented squad containing names such as Filipe Melo and former Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Chelsea centre-back Thiago Silva, who will attempt to carry them into the top half of the league.
For Marcelo, his focus now turns to finding a new club. Aged 36, he is in the twilight years of his career and will want to find a new team soon in order to stay match fit.
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