Grmio awaits the conclusion of Ferreira’s departure, with the termination fine paid by Atlanta United of the United States, but does not hide that the atmosphere of the goodbye is terrible. The revelation, made by Felipe, that the attacking midfielder has missed most recent trainings, marks the new public chapter of a relationship that is once again wearing off behind the scenes.
At 23, Ferreira is Grmio’s second-highest scorer this season, with 11 goals scored and has a contract until 2023. The amount will be paid by the MLS (Major League Soccer) team.
Grmio, initially, limited itself to verifying operations and pricing. Later, he elaborated that he would keep 50% of the amount – the equivalent of 4 million euros (R$ 24.6 million at the day’s exchange rate). Payment is expected by today (4).
Ferreira’s departure came last week after Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates made an offer for a loan with a buyout option. On Monday (2), Grmio announced that it was no longer interested in releasing the player. Grmio’s irritation lay in how interested the player was in leaving.
“Grámio is not selling Ferreira. Ferrera is not for sale. But there is a termination penalty in the contract and we have received a letter from Atlanta United saying they will pay the termination fine. But Grmio will not sell the player. He’s being bought in a hostile way,” Marcos said everymanSoccer runner-up at the Grmio.
“We had a meeting [na segunda-feira] In the morning, the representative came to ask us to sell it. We said it is not for sale and we can do exit analysis for next year. That’s what we could do, we need to try. He left and we were shocked by the news that they were going to pay the termination fine. If that was their decision, then it is the law.”
This restlessness explains the tone of Luiz Felipe Scolari at the press conference after the game against Vittoria for the Copa do Brasil. The board confirmed the information given by the coach, that Ferreira had not come for physiotherapy on CT due to injury to his right knee.
“Unfortunately we were surprised by the information that he didn’t show up at the medical department for three days,” Herrmann said. “This is a serious miscommunication, but to sum it up. (…) We have a serious miscommunication, yes. Clear. The coach should have been warned, the football executive, the board of directors.”
Grmio and Ferreira weren’t surprised at first. In 2020, the player was fired for not accepting to renew the contract and staff brought the club to court asking for the relationship to be terminated unilaterally. The request was not granted and an agreement was reached to renew the contract four months later, including a termination penalty of lesser value. Since then, the attacking midfielder has grabbed the spot and has made himself a starter in the current season. Good moments on the field also signaled peace behind the scenes.
But right after the gaucho championship, another phase of friction began. Negotiations for contract renewal did not proceed. The leak of the proposal took place before the meeting between the parties and the various versions on the terms proposed. The new contract was never concluded on paper, with the termination penalty raised to €16 million. Negotiations had calmed down shortly before Ferreira’s injury.
Grmio already submitted two deals last week. Ruan and Matthias Heinrich have settled with Sassuolo from Italy, but the defender remains in Porto Alegre until December. The defensive midfielder is expected to perform in Europe right after the Tokyo Olympics.
