Venê Casagrande and Marcos Braz exchange posts regarding the situation of midfielder De la Cruz

Nico De La Cruz's physical condition has reignited controversy at Flamengo and exposed long-standing backroom dealings within the club's management. Signed in December 2023 for approximately R$102 million, the Uruguayan midfielder's name was embroiled in controversy following revelations by doctor José Luiz Runco, who alleged in a private group that the player suffers from a chronic and irreversible injury to his right knee, in addition to another problem in his left knee. Since then, the athlete has participated in limited training sessions due to load control, and has been out of important matches, such as the derby against Fluminense and the match against Bragantino .

Although the club has not officially commented on the matter, the focus of criticism has been on Marcos Braz, Remo's current executive and Flamengo's vice president of football at the time of De La Cruz's signing. During a press conference, Braz was asked about the board's knowledge of the athlete's physical condition at the time. However, he declined to answer directly.

Marcos Braz, former Flamengo player, and current Remo director (Photo: Samara Miranda/Ascom Remo)

"I really wanted to answer this question, but out of respect for Remo and the Remo fans, I won't comment. But, certainly, if I did, we would both be in every media outlet in the country," said Braz.

The lack of clarification did not go unnoticed. Journalist Venê Casagrande, who follows Flamengo's daily activities, criticized Braz's stance and demanded more transparency amid the controversy. The commentator noted that the director usually speaks out in times of crisis at the club and considered the silence in this case contradictory.

"By sending indirect messages during some of Flamengo's crisis moments, doesn't Marcos Braz have any respect for Remo? At times, he seems more concerned about Flamengo than Remo. He could just respond... if he didn't respond, it's because he doesn't have the answer or because he really didn't want to. Simple," Venê declared.

The discussion gained repercussion on social media, where Braz responded to Venê indirectly: "I respect the women who work with me, I don't have FAKE, understand?", wrote the director, without clarifying the content of the criticism or returning to the main topic.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere among journalists also became tense off the field. During an episode of "SBT Sports Rio," Venê Casagrande took advantage of Vasco's elimination to provoke his colleague Lucas Pedrosa, a self-proclaimed Vasco fan. The red-and-black player rode a hobby horse bearing the Vasco flag to the sound of provocative music, drawing laughter from presenter Fernanda Maia and generating a buzz on social media.

Vasco was eliminated from the South American after being beaten 4-0 in the first leg against Independiente del Valle and drawing 1-1 at São Januário. Now, the team returns to the field on Sunday (27), at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), against Internacional, for the Brazilian Championship.