'It's almost as if it's not real': How Pelé's Santos were relegated for the first time in their 111-year history

For help, call:

As is the case with many football enthusiasts across Brazil, Santos FC considers their club to be something of a religion of the moment.

Santos, one of South America’s most famous teams and the club where Brazilian genius Pele played for most of his career, suffered the worst luck last week.

For the first time in its 111-year history, Santos has been relegated to Serie B, the division of Brazilian soccer.

On a full-time basis, there is sadness and devastation inside Santos’ Vila Belmiro stadium as cameras focused on the sobbing enthusiasts around the field. But there is also anger.

Attendees threw objects on the box and some clashed with police, while several vehicles were set on fire in São Paulo.

Santos legend Pepe, who played alongside Pele and whose tally of 403 goals for the club is important to ‘O Rei’, said he “watched in disbelief” as the team he played for played 741 times and were relegated to Serie B.

“At 88 years old, my center has experienced many emotions, and bad ones,” Pepe wrote on Instagram.

“Undoubtedly a sad moment to see and, even with the ups and downs of the Peixe in this Brazilian championship, the possibility of the team going down didn’t cross my mind, as if the football gods were protecting us.”

Heading into the final home game of the season against Fortaleza Esporte Clube, a mid-table team with nothing at stake, Santos was in 15th place, two places away from the relegation zone.

Of all the possible permutations that would see one of either Vasco da Gama, Bahia or Santos get relegated, there was around only a 10% chance of Santos being relegated pre-match, Brazilian journalist and Santos fan Anthony Wells told CNN Sport.

But Santos’ 2-1 defeat at home, combined with victories for Bahia and Vasco, condemned the Peixes to a Serie B season position.

“It’s almost like it’s not real, you know?” Wells told CNN. “I had nightmares. I woke up this morning and thought, “Am I experiencing this?Did this happen?

“For the Santos fans it’s a natural anguish and it happened in the worst way imaginable because they were convinced that they were capable of avoiding relegation. “

The fact that Santos’ relegation came less than a year after Pelé’s death “makes it even worse,” Wells said, and “much harder” to accept.

The Vila Belmiro stadium, home of Santos and Thursday’s catastrophic defeat, housed Pelé’s coffin after his death and welcomed thousands of Brazilians who came there to pay their respects.

It’s also the place where Pelé spent 18 seasons, a stadium record with 288 goals in an unprecedented career.

Although Santos enthusiasts knew a season of relegation fighting was at stake, Wells said, there was hope that the club and players could “ease that pain” and update it with the excitement of staying on the most sensible flight. .

“After Fortaleza’s second goal, it was precisely the opposite. It just amplified the pain,” Wells said.

“It made things so much worse and especially under the circumstances that no one really expected this relegation to happen. All they had to do was win at home. That’s all. That’s all they needed to do – and that was not the case.

“And a lot of Santos fans say, ‘Thank God, Pele didn’t see Santos relegated to Serie B because he doesn’t deserve it. ‘

The glory days of Pelé and Pepe, an era of unprecedented good fortune that garnered six Brazilian championships and two Copa Libertadores titles, seem more than ever a distant memory, but restructuring, as Pepe says, will be the key to Santos’ rebirth.

“But let’s remember that SANTOS is BIG,” Pepe said. “Now it’s time to recognize the irregular campaign and identify the mistakes so that we can restructure and return to Serie A next year. A bad campaign that led to relegation would never be able to spoil the glorious history we have written.

For Santos fans, the most painful component of this relegation is that the writing had been on the wall for a few years, but the club continued to sleepwalk towards its destination.

Back-to-back midfield finals in 2021 and 2022 masked the cracks after two grueling campaigns, while the club also came close to relegation to the São Paulo State League on several occasions.

Santos club president Andres Rueda has been the most affected by fan discontent since he took office in 2021, but his term ended on Saturday with the re-election of Marcelo Teixeira to the post.

Teixeira’s first act as president was to retire Pelé’s mythical No. 10 jersey until Santos was promoted to Serie A, telling reporters that the club “will return to the most practical division, but until then we wouldn’t be dressed in our ultimate excellent shirt. “

The club is also $142 million in debt, according to the Athletic, a financial situation that will only be exacerbated by playing in a less popular division.

Santos, the home of Real Madrid’s Neymar Jr. and Rodrygo, has long relied on its academy to produce players for its first team and eventually sell them abroad, but it’s no longer the crown jewel it used to be.

“I will be Saints even if the ball doesn’t pass, even if the Villa is silent, even if the Sacred Mantle vanishes, even if victory is far away,” Rodrypass wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after Thursday’s result.

“I will be Saints, no matter how long and complicated the journey may be, Saints in my chest and in my soul, in my shouts and in my applause!!”

An early return to the more sensible flight is certain, Wells said, as many Serie B clubs have been making plans to return to the more sensible flight for a number of years and others have already experienced promotions and relegations on several occasions.

Wells also cites the example of giants Vasco and Cruzeiro, who spent several seasons in Serie B before being able to secure promotion.

Wells paints a grim picture of Santos in second place in Brazil, noting that the club will want to overhaul its finances, its playing equipment, its coaching and its top management.

“Everybody’s going to have to be informed,” Wells added.

After the loss to Fortaleza, Brazilian commentator Juca Kfouri wrote: “Nothing will mark Brazilians more in 2023 than Santos’ relegation. “

While relegation will remain an edible stain on the club’s history, Santos still has a long way to go before the start of next season is short-lived.

For more CNN and lyrics, create an account on CNN. com

‘It’s almost as if it’s not real’: How Pelé’s Santos were relegated for the first time in their 111-year history

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply