Folha, 18 October, 23:00: Clarence Seedorf took over Corinthians last week. Eight matches, a month and a half, to stay in the Brasileirão. The first, Monday the 19th, evening, Itaquera, against Vitória. He is not on the bench. Still being cleared by the CBF. He watches from the stands. We do not invent a score. At the time of writing, the match has not started.

UOL, 16 October: the problem is the work visa. Without a name in the BID, he does not sit on the bench. Léo Porto takes the team. Seedorf has a CPF, from his Botafogo years. The club hopes to close it before Vasco. That is their hope. It is not a signed permit.

Eight league losses in a row. Seven under Fernando Diniz. One under William Batista, the interim. Internacional and Grêmio lost in the round. Folha: a chance of a three-point gap above the relegation zone. Vital, the text says, a decent result against Vitória. It is not closed maths.

After Diniz, the board heard no from several coaches. Then Seedorf, 50, until the end of 2027. A suggestion from agents, in Folha. A modest career on the touchline. Seven years without a team, since Cameroon. He played for Botafogo, was married to a Brazilian, speaks Portuguese. He admitted he had not been following Brazilian football closely. “The ball is round, 11 against 11. I played for 40 years. I will adapt quickly.” That is his mouth. It is not a coaching ledger.

He landed on Wednesday the 14th. Short, intense sessions, morning and afternoon. Saturday and Sunday, one slot, so they are not worn down before Vitória. Late wages, a down group. Psychologist Anahy Couto made profiles for him. The TVs at the training ground: before, tables and the calendar. Now old goals, at his request. “A wounded lion is dangerous.” His words. Not a score.

Organised fans, after a protest at the training centre: “pity” for the players, in Folha’s telling. The year-end aim, still there: avoid the worst. The photograph: the Arena, seen from Corinthians–Itaquera station, 14 April 2018. Not Monday’s stands. Not Porto’s bench.

Image: Juan Benjamin Samaniêgo, Arena Corinthians from the metro station, 14 April 2018, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. Not Monday’s stands.

Sources consulted: Clarence Seedorf, a distância, procura dar nova cara ao aflito time do Corinthians — Folha de S.Paulo; Visto adia estreia de Seedorf, e Corinthians confia em início contra Vasco — UOL.