Palmeiras confirms Kléber's dismissal.
The club decided to comply with coach Felipão's request, who said yesterday that he is no longer counting on the player for the upcoming games.
247 – Striker Kléber will no longer play for Palmeiras. The club confirmed that it will comply with the request of coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who said yesterday that he no longer counts on the player for the upcoming Brasileirão matches. The player had been sidelined on Tuesday after a heated argument with the coach.
"It's a resolved situation, as far as I'm concerned. Kléber made a statement today saying he didn't want to play for Palmeiras anymore, and I don't want to anymore either. The matter is now with the management. Let the management decide, it's no longer my problem," declared the coach, who had allegedly threatened to leave the club if the striker wasn't removed from the squad.
The player threatened not to take the field against Flamengo on Wednesday night in protest against the aggression suffered by midfielder João Vítor on Tuesday – the player, his brother-in-law, and a friend were involved in a fight with fans in front of the official Palmeiras store. Indignant about the incident, Kléber reportedly tried to rally the other players to join the protest, which led to the clash with Felipão.
The relationship between the coach and the player had been strained for some time. Despite the problems, Felipão recognized the striker's importance and even tolerated some of his actions that disrupted the group's atmosphere. But the way the player confronted him on Tuesday night, after the incident with João Vitor, was decisive in the coach vetoing the striker. Palmeiras drew 1-1 against Flamengo at the Engenhão stadium on Wednesday.