Following a disappointing season, Santos FC, one of Brazil’s most successful and storied teams, has been demoted to the country’s second division for the first time in its 111-year history.

Santos, which has produced some of football’s biggest stars like Pelé, Neymar, and Robinho, ended 17th in the 20-team Brasileiro standings with just 43 points.

The club’s relegation was sealed on Wednesday evening as they were defeated 2-1 at home by Fortaleza, leaving them unable to escape the drop zone. Santos failed to win any of their last five matches, sealing their destiny despite a late surge in form.

Santos, founded in 1912, has a long history in Brazilian football, winning several state and national trophies as well as two Copa Libertadores wins in 1962 and 1963.

However, this year’s relegation represents a new low point for the team, which has battled in recent seasons to maintain its previously outstanding standards.

The club’s collapse has been felt more painfully by its devoted fans, who have become accustomed to seeing their side compete at the top levels of local and international football.

Yusif Alhassan Chibsah, a former Ghana international, has advised young and future footballers to be cautious when it comes to contract talks.

Speaking at the third edition of Robert Smith Law Group’s Law for Society Public Seminar, which took place over the weekend at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, the former Asante Kotoko and King Faisal midfielder urged players to be patient and careful in contract talks.

“As a footballer contract negotiations are very important because it involves a lot,” Chibsah, who is now a FIFA intermediary agent said.

“You have to be cautious and patient because your agent will have to negotiate on your behalf and sometimes you would want more while your agent feels it is fine but it is all about understanding each other. Being cautious and patient is very key and I entreat every footballer and young player to note that,” he added.

Chibsah presently manages Asante Kotoko goalkeeper Ibrahim Danlad and other players in the Ghana Premier League.

In collaboration with Asempa FM, the Robert Smith Law Group hosted the third edition of its Law for Society Public Seminar.

Former footballer Samuel Osei Kuffour has warned the Black Stars that appropriate planning is required ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Ghana has qualified for the 34th edition of the AFCON, which will be held in Ivory Coast next year.

Kuffour, who played for the Black Stars in the 2006 World Cup, believes the squad has to strategize ahead of time.

He also recommended that Ghana’s best chance of winning the AFCON lay not in immediate preparations for the tournament in Ivory Coast, but in a well-thought-out plan designed to harness the potential of the country’s developing youthful stars for the following two editions.

“There is a difference between preparation and planning; we are always prepared, but we don’t plan. If you look at the team we took to the World Cup last year, 17 of the players were under 25,” the former Ghana and Bayern Munich defender stated in an interview with Peace FM.

“So why are we pushing ourselves to go to Ivory Coast to win the cup?” We need to think about 2025 or 2027 because how old will the athletes be by then? Because we do not plan, we prepare, but there is a distinction between planning and preparation, therefore we must plan correctly; we require planning rather than preparation,” he continued.

Ghana, a four-time AFCON winner, has had a 40-year hiatus in capturing the coveted crown.

For the competition, which runs from January 13 to February 11, the Black Stars have been placed in Group B with Egypt, Cape Verde, and Mozambique.