Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira has been fined $15,000 by CONMEBOL for showing his middle finger to one of his own players during a Copa Libertadores game.
Ferreira made the gesture to Flaco López after the Argentine striker scored the opener in his team’s 2-0 win at Sporting Cristal on May 6.
CONMEBOL found Ferreira guilty of breaching the disciplinary code and also warned the Portuguese coach that in the event of a repeat offence, he would face much more serious consequences.
Ferreira said at the time that his gesture was part of an internal joke to motivate López, who the coach believes has a tendency to pass instead of going for goal.
“He’s the player I’m hardest on,” Ferreira said of López. “My main role as a coach is to get the best out of the players. When he [López] gave me the thumbs-up, I gave him the middle finger, because I demand a lot from him. He knows I expect him to score goals. I don’t want to see him dropping back into midfield to play players in. That’s not his role; we’ve got plenty of players who can do that.
“I treat him as if he were my own son; it’s not just a recent thing, it’s been that way ever since he arrived. I demand a lot from him because I know what potential he has.”
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An Argentina international, López, 25, joined Palmeiras from Lanús in 2022 and scored 25 goals and registered six assists in 64 games last season.
“He’s not there yet, but he’s got everything it takes to be a world-class centre-forward,” Ferreira said.
