Rio de Janeiro, Jul 21 (IANS): Flamengo coach Joel Santana has said that former Argentine international midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme does not deserve to play with the Rio de Janeiro club.
The comments Friday followed Riquelme's decision to reject an offer to join Flamengo after reportedly being dissuaded by the team's 0-3 loss to Corinthians Wednesday, reports Xinhua.
"Any player who says he can't play for a fan base like ours doesn't deserve to wear the club's colours," Santana said.
The former Barcelona and Villarreal star has also reportedly received offers from Brazil's Cruzeiro and China's Shanghai Shenhua, coached by Riquelme's compatriot and friend Sergio Batista.