RIO DE JANEIRO - As the gregarious Ronaldinho, one of the world's best soccer players, emerged last month from the locker room in his black-and-red Flamengo club jersey, fans erupted in applause. But a group of shirtless men in the seats below had their sights on someone else, turning toward a private box above and chanting.

"Pa-tri-cia! Pa-tri-cia!" they shouted. "We love you!"

It was a hopeful moment for Patricia Amorim, a former Olympic swimmer, after a year to forget as the first woman to run the 115-year-old Flamengo, Brazil's most popular soccer club.

Last year, the police charged Flamengo's soccer goalie with murder in the disappearance of a former lover. Another star player was questioned about possible ties to drug traffickers.

"This affected the team and the fans," Ms. Amorim said. "People did not really go to the stadiums. It was a sad time for Flamengo."

The series of events painted a picture of a club that lacked discipline, and it fueled sexist notions that a woman could not manage a Brazilian soccer enterprise.

Rumors that some club members wanted to impeach Ms. Amorim began circulating in the media.

A seasoned competitor, Ms. Amorim, 42, tried not to curse her misfortune.

"Sometimes we think something is just so horrible that there is no light at the end of the tunnel," she said. "But you might have been lucky to go through all that because you can turn it around even faster."

Ms. Amorim was still in her teens when she qualified for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. She won 28 titles in Brazil before retiring in 1991.

While training at Flamengo, Ms. Amorim developed a taste for politics and was elected to Rio's city council in 2000. Despite her political career, the sporting world and Flamengo had always been her first loves. And in 2009, she was supported by Helio Ferraz, a former Flamengo president, in her bid to lead the club.

"Her time had come," said Mr. Ferraz, now Flamengo's vice president. "She is a Flamengo icon, has youth and warmth, and she brought with her a new generation of professional executives."

Ms. Amorim said she tried to "get the house in order," turning to the writings of President Obama and other leaders, like President Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope," for inspiration.

In the end, nothing came of the impeachment rumors. The junior team ended up winning the championship, and Ms. Amorim excited many fans by signing Ronaldinho, who, at age 30, was interested in returning to his homeland from Italy.

Some wonder if Ronaldinho's best playing days are behind him. But his arrival "brought back the spirit of joy" to the embattled team even before he took the field, Ms. Amorim said.

She said he could help transform Flamengo into another Barcelona, the powerful Spanish team where Ronaldinho once found glory.

Brazil's booming economy is helping the country's clubs close the payroll gap with foreign teams, and Flamengo's revenues have more than quadrupled since 2003, Mr. Ferraz said. "If Flamengo wins two or three major titles this year, she's liable to be considered one of our greatest presidents," said Ruy Castro, an author and Flamengo fan.

"People underestimate you," said Ms. Amorim. "Now, I think they are no longer underestimating me."

The New York Times