A 2-1 home defeat by Fortaleza in the final league match turned the club into one of the most unwanted scenarios for Santos, the one of relegation from the Serie A.
It was one of the nights that decided it all about the Brazilian club which was the home of one of the biggest world stars of all time, Edson Arantes de Nascimento or Pele. They dropped out of Serie A, Brazil’s top level, and are officially in Serie B.
This irritated the devastated fans and they exploded into tears after the loss.
Some of them burned cars outside the stadium to make the situation even worse for the team from Sao Paulo. Vasco da Gama managed to win with two goals against Bragantino and Bahia won by four goals against Atletico Mineiro.
Lucero scored in the stoppage time just to make the bad dreams a sad reality for Santos. Five matches without a win for the home side made them finish in 17th place.
The story behind the relegation…
Santos was one of the three teams that was never relegated together with Sao Paulo and Flamengo.
Supporters were anxious during the match and reacted with fury after the game in Vila Belmiro Stadium. They put the flame on the buses and the cars around the stadium making the situation chaotic and making this bad moment even worse for their team.
Authorities discovered that the car of the attacker Steven Mendoza was set on fire and destroyed by the fans after the game.
Pele was the player to set up new heights for the club after signing for the club starting in 1956. In 1957 he became the top scorer of the team, before giving the title in 1958. He managed to create a story of success with Santos and make it one of the most successful clubs in the country.
Why did the story of Santos become a sad story of relegation?
Well, the first reason is connected with the recent performance in the last seasons. They finished 12th in the 2021-22 season and this was not a good sign.
The scenario was warned first by the results and by the type of gameplay that the team implemented in the pitch. President Andres Rueda has his responsibility for the state of the team and how the team reacts in bad moments of the game.
This could never happened without some strange behavior by the team.
This is a clear result of the level that other teams have and the ability and the force that the team had to react on the pitch, but most importantly, outside the pitch in the reports that the team has with the competition of the other teams.
So this story was prepared step by step after a clear neglect by the team and a good inner faith that everything was going to be improved for the team.
That may have a positive impact on the team temporarily, but never in the long term and for serious projects. This would be a serious failure even if the team survives in the last breath.
What should be done in order to cure the problem?
First of all, take into consideration all the factors that pushed the team to these levels. One is the history and the legacy of the team that made them successful.
Secondly, the changes to these factors and the changes in the seasons of the team.
This difference can reveal the real cause of the problem and the possible solutions will be available only to serious projects.
