Botafogo's Renato Paiva explains middle finger: 'Just a joke'

After Botafogo 's 3-2 victory over Estudiantes, coach Renato Paiva gave his version of an image circulating on the Internet: of him showing the middle finger (a very offensive gesture) towards the fans after Artur's goal. The Portuguese player, however, defended himself and emphasized that the gesture was a joke and directed at the coaching staff, who suggested he take off the number 7 shirt.

"Before answering your question, I'm going to clarify a topic that's been circulating on the internet, a gesture I made. They're already saying it's for the fans, they're already saying it's for the Argentina coach... So, the story goes like this. A discussion between my coaching staff, take Artur out, don't take Artur out, take Artur out, don't take Artur out. And I said: I'm not going to take Artur out. Ah, but Artur is at risk, worn out... I'm not going to take Artur out. And when Artur scores the goal, I did it in the true Portuguese way, for my colleague on the coaching staff. That's very clear," commented Paiva.

The Portuguese commander even stated that his behavioral history indicates that he would have no reason to be offensive to anyone, especially his own fans. He added:

"There is no sign of disrespect in my career towards any player. None. There is no moment recorded of me showing disrespect towards players, only one expulsion in 23 years. In Benfica's under-17s. Those who know me know. That was a joke because there was a constant request to take Artur off due to his physical condition, GPS. And I had the feeling that I didn't have to take him off because he was one of the best on the pitch. Estudiantes' defense was completely disorganized. When the goal went in, I was even laughing," added Paiva.

Therefore, Glorioso can breathe a sigh of relief and will need a simple victory over Universidad de Chile in the last round of Group A to advance to the round of 16. The game will be on Tuesday (27), at 9:30 pm, at the black and white home.

The team led by Renato Paiva has the same nine points as the Argentines, but remains in third place due to tiebreaker criteria. 'La U' leads with ten points. However, if Botafogo wins in the last round, they would surpass the Chileans in the standings.

Botafogo, however, is now preparing to face Flamengo next Sunday (18), at 6:30 pm, at Maracanã, for the ninth round of the Brasileirão. Savarino, Matheus Martins, Alexander Barboza and Bastos remain in the DM and are unlikely to play in the classic.

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