The noise from the stands had become a constant companion
No futebol, como na vida, há momentos em que a soma das pressões supera a soma dos resultados. O São Paulo encerrou o ciclo do técnico Roger Machado na noite de quarta-feira, 13 de maio, horas após a eliminação na Copa do Brasil diante do Juventude — um desfecho que selou não apenas uma derrota, mas o esgotamento de uma relação que nunca encontrou equilíbrio entre expectativa e entrega. Em apenas dois meses e dezessete jogos, o treinador enfrentou o peso de uma torcida impaciente e a sombra de um antecessor que havia deixado o clube em ascensão.
- A eliminação para o Juventude na Copa do Brasil foi a gota d'água de uma gestão que já agonizava sob vaias e cinco jogos consecutivos sem vitória.
- A torcida havia retirado sua confiança bem antes da diretoria: Machado foi vaiado até após uma vitória, sinal de que o vínculo emocional com o clube estava rompido.
- A distância de dez pontos para o líder Palmeiras no Brasileirão revelava que o problema ia além do humor das arquibancadas — o clube estava perdendo terreno real na competição.
- A diretoria realizou coletiva, mas nenhum nome foi apresentado como substituto, deixando o São Paulo à deriva no meio da temporada.
- Rui Costa admitiu que a contratação de Machado não foi decisão exclusivamente sua, distribuindo a responsabilidade pelo erro por toda a cúpula do futebol tricolor.
O São Paulo anunciou na quarta-feira, 13 de maio, o desligamento do técnico Roger Machado e de toda a sua comissão técnica, poucas horas após a eliminação na Copa do Brasil para o Juventude, no estádio Alfredo Jaconi. A derrota foi o gatilho imediato, mas o cenário já estava deteriorado há semanas.
Machado deixa o clube com 51 anos e um retrospecto de sete vitórias, quatro empates e seis derrotas em 17 partidas — pouco mais de dois meses de trabalho. O diretor de futebol Rui Costa e o coordenador técnico Rafinha concederam entrevista coletiva após o anúncio, ambos mantendo seus cargos. Costa reconheceu que a contratação do treinador havia sido uma decisão coletiva, envolvendo presidente e departamento de futebol.
Além da eliminação copeira, pesava sobre Machado uma sequência de cinco jogos sem vencer e a pressão constante das arquibancadas. O técnico foi vaiado em momentos emblemáticos — inclusive após uma vitória sobre o próprio Juventude em fase anterior da Copa do Brasil. No Brasileirão, o clube ocupa a quarta colocação, mas viu a distância para o líder Palmeiras crescer para dez pontos.
Pairando sobre tudo estava a comparação inevitável com Marcelo Crespo, o argentino que deixou o clube em momento ascendente. Machado nunca conseguiu preencher esse vazio. Até o fechamento desta edição, o São Paulo não havia anunciado seu substituto, iniciando uma busca por estabilidade em meio a uma temporada que exige respostas urgentes.
São Paulo parted ways with Roger Machado on Wednesday, May 13th, hours after the club's elimination from the Copa do Brasil at the hands of Juventude in the tournament's fifth round. The match took place at Alfredo Jaconi stadium, and the loss proved to be the final blow to a tenure that had been deteriorating under mounting pressure from supporters and results alike.
Machado, 51, departs after just seventeen matches in charge—a span of roughly two months. His record: seven wins, four draws, and six losses. The club announced the decision through its social media channels, stating that both Machado and his entire technical staff had been dismissed following the Juventude encounter. Rui Costa, the club's football director, and Rafinha, the technical coordinator, held a press conference afterward to address the change. Both men retained their positions.
Costa acknowledged during the briefing that Machado's hiring had not been his own decision. "The choice to bring in Roger involved extensive conversations with the president and with Rafinha," Costa explained. "It was a decision made by the football department and supported by the president." The statement suggested that responsibility for the appointment—and perhaps its failure—was distributed across the club's hierarchy rather than concentrated in any single figure.
But the Copa do Brasil elimination, while the immediate trigger, was only part of a larger picture of deterioration. Machado had been operating under relentless scrutiny since his arrival. The team had now gone five consecutive matches without a victory, managing only two defeats and three draws during that stretch. On the league table, São Paulo sat in fourth place, but the gap to the leading Palmeiras had widened to ten points—a significant deficit that suggested the club's competitive position was slipping.
The supporters made their displeasure audible. Machado was booed during recent matches, including one moment that particularly stung: the crowd voiced its disapproval even after São Paulo defeated Juventude in an earlier Copa do Brasil encounter, and again before a league match against Mirassol. The noise from the stands had become a constant companion to his tenure, a daily reminder that the fanbase had lost faith.
Hanging over everything was the ghost of Marcelo Crespo, the Argentine coach who had departed when the team was still competing for the title. His exit had left a void that Machado was never able to fill, and the comparison—explicit or not—seemed to follow the Brazilian coach through every decision. The club's trajectory under Crespo had been upward; under Machado, it had reversed.
As of the announcement, São Paulo had not named a successor. The club faces the remainder of the season without a permanent manager, tasked with climbing back up the league standings and restoring confidence among a frustrated fanbase. The search for stability continues.
Citações Notáveis
The choice to bring in Roger involved extensive conversations with the president and with Rafinha. It was a decision made by the football department and supported by the president.— Rui Costa, São Paulo football director
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did it take only two months for this to fall apart? Seventeen games isn't much time to judge a coach.
True, but context matters. He inherited a team that had been competing for the title under Crespo. The supporters weren't patient with a rebuild—they wanted continuity at that level. When results stopped coming and the pressure started, there was no reservoir of goodwill to draw from.
The Copa do Brasil loss was the trigger, but it sounds like the real problem was deeper.
Exactly. Five games without a win, the gap to Palmeiras growing, fans booing even after victories. The elimination just crystallized what everyone already knew: this wasn't working. It gave the club permission to act.
Rui Costa said the hiring wasn't his decision. Does that matter?
It matters because it tells you something about how the club operates. When things go wrong, the responsibility gets diffused. Costa was protecting himself by saying the decision came from above. But that also means there's no clear accountability—and no clear vision for what comes next.
What does the club need now?
A manager who can stabilize things quickly and convince the fanbase that there's a plan. Right now they're fourth, ten points behind the leader, and the supporters are restless. The next hire has to land differently than Machado did—with either a track record that silences doubt, or a clear mandate from ownership that everyone believes in.