Leader of Maringá talks about Flamengo, plans for access and more

The president of Maringá, Joao Vitor Mazzerhad a chat with sportbuzz about the club’s development, the unexpected 2-0 victory against Flamengo at Brazil’s Cup (as well as elimination by the score of 8 to 2) and the steps towards Serie C of the Brazilian Championship. The manager also explained the city’s relationship with the team and how it works in the SAF model.

“Maringá was founded with the intention of being the city’s team, occupying this empty space, rescuing football from the past of Maringá”explained Mazzer. “And, since our arrival (2016 administration), along the same lines, we have continued with the slogan ‘more than a team, a city’, we want to be a symbol. At the same time that it is a city of great pride, a lot of economic activity, it still lacks the symbols that represent it”.

In addition, the leader detailed how Maringá, ‘born’ in 2010, and which today operates in a more entrepreneurial way, climbed so quickly on the national scene. “The legal, tax, financial, internal process structuring, the governance that we established and the invitation for several shareholders to come, all this added to the hiring of good professionals, with integrity and with good technical capacity, turned this virtuous cycle”he said.

About Maringá having faced Flamengo in the Copa do Brasil, Mazzer told a curiosity: “We talked about a list of three, four teams that we didn’t want to be drawn with, at first. Of course one of them was Flamengo.”. Regarding the big day, with the first match held in the city of Paraná, the manager spoke about the feeling of the club and the fans.

“It was a very interesting thing, we prepared a party like we had never done before, it was a special day just for having received Flamengo in the city”he pointed out. “We were hoping to get a draw, whatever it was, a one-goal victory to keep the dispute alive in the second game, and we played better and beat them 2-0 at home. It was a very defining moment for our project, without a doubt.”

Mazzer also regretted the bucket of cold water at Maracanã with the score of 8 to 2 for the red-blacks, on the way back: “We had hopes of leaving there with a victory that would give us the classification, Flamengo, ours, or a draw. But it’s football, it’s part of it, we were having a bad day and Flamengo was having a ‘Flamengo’ day, really, with a full house, 55,000 fans”.

Despite the bitter elimination, the president declared that the result does not shake: “That game does not sum up what we are doing. We have already been working for six years in which, step by step, we are conquering the sporting objectives”. Mazzer also revealed what is the main goal to be achieved by the club following the season.

“It’s moving up to the C Series, without a doubt, because it is a watershed for a project like ours, of average, good expression. We took our award (from the Copa do Brasil), which we didn’t have, our box office, and we’re investing everything in Série D this year to put together a team to fight. That’s what we’re focused on.”scored.

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