Clube de Regatas do Flamengo have sacked head coach Filip Luis after a string of disappointing results, with Portuguese manager Leonardo Jardim emerging as the club’s leading candidate to take over ahead of the Carioca final.
The decision comes despite Flamengo’s emphatic 8-0 win over Madureira in the Carioca semi-final. Filipe Luis, who addressed the media at the Maracana after the win, was reportedly taken aback by the news of his release.
According to Globo.com, the coach was given no formal justification and was not even warned. The call for his dismissal was reportedly made before kick-off. Director of football Jos Boto briefed Filipe Luis in a brief meeting, with the team already leaving the stadium. The former coach is now expected to visit Ninho in Urubu to say goodbye to the players and staff.
The move was ordered by club president Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, who was increasingly unhappy with the team’s early season performances. After the defeats in the Brazilian Super Cup and the South American Super Cup, the board began to make decisions. Reports suggest that Bap has already issued stricter requirements for both players and coaching staff due to concerns about physical sharpness, technical inconsistency and locker room unrest.
Filipe Luis was originally appointed as Flamengo’s head coach in 2023 after impressing in the club’s youth set-up. He began his coaching journey with Flamengo’s under-17 team in March 2024 after retiring from professional football, winning the Copa Rio and leading the under-20s to the world title in June. Promoted to the starting role to replace Tite on 30 September, he quickly delivered silverware and lifted the Copa do Brasil in 2024.
In 2025, Flamengo added the Supercopa do Brasil, Campeonato Carioca and Copa Libertadores to their trophy cabinet under his leadership. However, defeat in the Intercontinental Final in a shootout with Paris Saint-Germain and subsequent setbacks this season have intensified the scrutiny.
Despite recently extending his contract until 2027, relations between Filipe Luis, Bap and Bot have reportedly soured in recent months and communication has continued to drift apart.
Flamengo have yet to confirm who will lead the team in Sunday’s Carioca final against Fluminense, but they are keen to wrap up the meeting quickly. Leonardo Jardim, who has been on the club president’s radar since late last year and is currently in Brazil, is seen as the frontrunner to take over at the Maracana.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
March 3, 2026 12:22 PM IST
