How many trucks? (pic: Agencia Corinthians)

After talking very openly about the possibility of swapping Corinthians for the riches of the Middle East last week, Fábio Carille confused everybody on Sunday by saying that there was no offer on the table.

Fábio Carille deserves a lot of respect. He generally conducts himself well and has done a brilliant job at Corinthians since taking over from Tite last year. But his comment before Corinthians’ game against Sport today – that there was no offer on the table – was very bizarre. And his interview after the game, in which he accused a large potion of the media of lying, was pretty distasteful too.

It is well known that Al Hilal has made a massive offer to take 44-year old Fábio Carille to the Middle East. It might not have been an official offer, but an offer was there. In a press conference last week Carille was questioned about the temptation of a “truck load of money” from the Middle East. He didn’t deny it. In fact, he corrected the journalist and said that it was not one but “two truck loads of money”. Even Carille’s father discussed the possibility that Carille might leave Corinthians for the Middle East. On national television! For Carille to get angry at the media now, after all of that, is pretty bad form.

For Corinthians fans, this will be music to their ears. The coach isn’t definitively staying, but it seems a lot more likely that he will stay than it did last week. Some Brazilian media outlets are now reporting that the Sporting Lisbon manager Jorge Jesus is being considered by Al Hilal. Did Al Hilal get tired of waiting for Carille? Or has Carille has turned down the “two trucks of money”? Or is there an “unofficial offer” primed and ready to be put into a Middle Eastern fax machine and Carille is irritated because it hasn’t arrived yet. Whatever the truth, we should have a clearer picture as to whether the coach will be staying or going over the next few days.

In the meantime though, the uncertainty doesn’t seem to have had a negative impact on Corinthians, at least not yet. On Thursday they thrashed Deportive Lara 7 – 2 in Venezuela in the Copa Libertadores. And this evening, with a mixed team, they earned a respectable 1-1 draw away to Sport in the Serie A.

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