Charge on Paiva, for now, is disproportionate in the context of 2025

History repeats itself like a farce, Karl Marx pointed out in the 19th century. Any feeling of déjà vu is enough to evoke the old German philosopher. At Botafogo , relapses occur in a very short interval. Just two years, to be more precise. In the first half of 2023, in a cowardly and brutal way, the Glorioso fans massacred Luís Castro and asked for his departure in unison. In fact, there was even a reporter demanding his dismissal! From ironies to insults, the Portuguese was placed on the same level as Marcelo Chamusca and other coaches who are not missed at the Mais Tradicional. Today, many of those cancelers are asking for the "ex", free on the market, to return to the position, in place of his compatriot Renato Paiva, the execrated one of the time. After being dismissed for nothing by the black and whites, Castro started a winning streak and left the Estrela Solitária team running away at the top of the Brazilian Championship.

In a hurry, Botafogo's most excited fans believe that Luís Castro or Jorge Jesus will sign a contract with the club two minutes after Renato Paiva's departure. They ignore the fact that there are conversations, meetings, demands and huge sums involved in negotiations that could last days or weeks. The most important thing, however, is the vacancy in the coaching position. In other words, while John Textor and his Black & White Caps are looking for a replacement, the black and white team would be in the hands of an interim coach, without a coaching staff. The bombshell will go off in the hands of Cláudio Caçapa. Faced with such a negative scenario and very tough Copa Libertadores games ahead, he will find it extremely difficult to work and will not be able to get things in order properly. Remember the Recopa, against Racing (ARG).

Paiva's departure, at this moment, is a huge shot in the foot. It would only worsen the crisis at Glorioso. That's why the demands are, for now, exaggerated and disproportionate. The coach received a squad with several players who don't shine the boots of the supporting players of that team that won the Brazilian and continental championship. Furthermore, since he stepped foot in the Nilton Santos Stadium, he has suffered from a considerable number of injuries. Even so, the coach sought solutions. For example, De Paula, as a "10", didn't work out, as well as Jeffinho on the right wing. But Cuiabano, on the left wing, performed well. Jesus and Mastriani, together, in attack, also resulted in another good alternative, as it confuses the opposing team's marking, as happened in the classic against Fluminense . But the tweeter on duty is there, ready to vent his hatred instead of making specific criticisms.

Paiva is a victim of circumstances

Renato Paiva did not assemble this invertebrate squad, nor did he give his approval for the 2025 reinforcements. Despite this context of adversity, the Portuguese coach maintains the best performance as a local during the SAF era and left Botafogo depending on its own strength to advance in the Libertadores. With stumbles, the Lone Star is alive and with two games at the Colosso do Subúrbio to decide its future. If the performance is, in fact, unsatisfactory, individual errors determined the result in some defeats of the Glorioso. John's mistake against Estudiantes, for example, and Telles' double mistake in the same play against Bragantino , weighed on the results of these matches.

The fans' rhetorical belligerence is therefore pointed in the wrong direction. Textor, a centralizer, is the one most to blame for the recent failures. In fact, on and off the field. The majority shareholder of the black and white SAF already has the know-how to publish a treatise on how to destroy a team with a winning soul in record time. While playing cowboy in France, the big boss left Botafogo in the lurch for three months. It is unforgivable for a Libertadores and Brazilian champion (in the same year) to advance in the season with an under-20 coach like Carlos Leiria. This does not happen anywhere on the planet. Can anyone imagine a team that has just won the Champions League, Europa League or even Conference League in the hands of a coach from lower divisions? The tycoon was envious of the amateur Botafogo. There is no other explanation for such a disastrous plan.

*This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jogada10

Follow our content on social media: Bluesky, Threads, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook .