Flamengo directors promised on Monday to put an end to the political in-fighting which has become a hallmark of Brazil's most popular club in the last decade.

"Our club is going to be one big family," football vice-president Paulo Dantas told Brazilian television.

"There are going to be no more egos, jealousy or misunderstandings."

Dantas gave the interview alongside his director of football Junior after reports that the pair had fallen out over the aborted signing of Argentine striker Cristian Castillo.

Dantas had announced last week that Flamengo were signing the player from Buenos Aires club Independiente but stood down on Monday after media reports that Junior, who played for Brazil in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, had opposed the decision.

"The first impressions were good but we reached the conclusion it would be a risk," Dantas said.

Junior and Dantas are part of the board picked by newly elected Flamengo president Marcio Braga to end years of stagnation at the club.

Riddled with debts, Flamengo have been rocked by a serious of scandals that reached a peak last year when president Edmundo Santos Silva was impeached for alleged misuse of funds.

Flamengo's problems were again exposed this year when a practice session was cancelled because of cat faeces on the training pitch while a newspaper report alleged that the players' changing rooms were infested with cockroaches.

The team finished eighth in this year's Brazilian championship and, despite claiming to possess over 25 million supporters around the country, managed an average attendance of fewer than 10,000 in the competition.

Close

Today's Top News		Top Sports News
+Foreign auto financing firms approved ( 2003-12-30) +China launches scientific satellite ( 2003-12-30) +Anhui vice-governor gets death penalty ( 2003-12-30) +Hong Kong pop queen Anita Mui dies ( 2003-12-30) +WHO expert joins SARS investigation ( 2003-12-30)		+Arsenal keep in touch with 1-0 win ( 2003-12-30) +Flamengo directors promise to end in-fighting ( 2003-12-30) +Parma will survive Parmalat crisis, says club boss ( 2003-12-30) +Miami Heat activate center Wang ZhiZhi ( 2003-12-30) +Bryant case voted AP sports story of year ( 2003-12-30)