Palmeiras president Arnaldo Tirone has called for the clubs supporters to get behind the team as they scrap against relegation in the final 8 games of the season.
The São Paulo giants were defeated 1-0 away at Náutico at the weekend, their 3rd defeat in a row, and are currently sitting 18th in the Brasileirão table, 9 points from safety.
However, Tirone, who became president of the club in January 2011, told São Paulo radio station, rádio Bandeirantes, that the fans will play a key part in Palmeiras fight for survival.
He said: “We need to appeal to the fans, because this kind of revolt will not help. The team needs to be pushed. If the car is on a hill and the engine is not powerful, then you do not know how to fly, it will not rise. Palmeiras must be supported, nobody wants to lose, we are all suffering this problem, and we are all playing for our careers."
Tirone knows the fans are angry at the clubs performance, and he himself has come under criticism from fans that believe he has tried to hide during this bad run. But he stays positive that they can still turn things around.
“We have the mathematical conditions [to escape the fall], but a gun to the head will not work. We need tranquility and support. I know that the fans are upset. We played bad against Sao Paulo and Coritiba, but we have eight games left and it depends on us to have serenity, responsibility and claw things back."
