Flamengo criticizes CBF for not postponing Brasileirão games: "There is no equality"
Flamengo strongly criticized the CBF this Saturday morning (23), the date of the duel with Palmeiras, due to the non-postponement of the games in the 18th round of the Brazilian Championship, which are scheduled for next weekend. In an official note, the Rio club spoke about the lack of equality, as it will play without many players due to the World Cup.
Danilo, Léo Pereira, Alex Sandro and Lucas Paquetá have already been called up to the Brazilian team. Flamengo can still see Plata, in Ecuador, Carrascal, in Colombia, and the trio Varela, De la Cruz and Arrascaeta being called up by the Uruguay national team.
Because of this, the club believes that the CBF's error "is clear": "In a straight points competition, in which all rounds have the same weight in defining the champion, there is no equality or parity of forces when a team is forced to enter the field without several players, as is the case with Flamengo and Palmeiras", says the note.
Because of this, the club suggests the need to create a new league, with the clubs organizing the championship - read the full note below.
"It is more than urgent to create an organized league in Brazil. The CBF is important in this process and must actively participate in this construction, but understanding that this is a movement led by the associations... the Brazilian Championship needs to be thought of and conducted from the perspective of the clubs, their athletes, their fans and their investors and in strengthening the product itself", says the club.
Also according to the club's statement, the solution could be to postpone the game to August 4th, as Flamengo was eliminated from the Copa do Brasil and the date would be free on the calendar.
See Flamengo's full note
"In the wake of the most recent crossroads at which the 2026 Brazilian Championship finds itself, whether or not to postpone the 18th round games of the teams that had a significant number of players called up for the FIFA World Cup, we need to reflect: where are we going wrong and how will we solve these problems?
In this case, the error is very clear. In a straight points competition, in which all rounds have the same weight in defining the champion, there is no equality or parity of forces when a team is forced to enter the field without several players, as is the case of Flamengo and Palmeiras, exclusively because these athletes were transferred to their national teams (four for Brazil).
It is necessary to recognize the advances made by the current management of the Brazilian Football Confederation, which, among other things, sought to optimize and adjust the calendar to resolve historical problems, as well as the importance of the World Cup for the CBF and for the country. But that is precisely where the dilemma lies. When the same entity is responsible for the Brazilian team and the main national championship, someone ends up harmed in this conflict of interests. In this case, again the biggest losers are the clubs. A contrast in this scenario is UEFA, which defended its members, its competition and obtained, from FIFA, permission for the European Champions League final to feature its stars on the field.
When teams are forced to play without their main players due to call-ups, those who lose, above all, are the fans. Both those who pay for admission and those who follow the broadcasts. The quality of the show is compromised, competitive integrity is affected and the product is devalued, in addition to creating an inverse logic: the teams that invest the most are precisely the ones most penalized.
In the past, palliative solutions from the CBF sought to alleviate this recurring problem, such as the impossibility of a team acting if five of its players were called up. Another example currently occurs, when the Brasileirão actually stops during FIFA Dates, but returns just two days later. Flamengo has already had to charter aircraft to bring athletes who played on a Tuesday night on another continent and entered the field less than 48 hours later.
These palliative measures no longer keep up with the reality of Brazilian football. While club investments increase, Brazilian teams are able to repatriate players who are still in peak physical shape, maintain talent for longer, structure multidisciplinary departments with top professionals and invest increasingly in Training Centers and infrastructure. Brazilian football has evolved, and the management of its competitions needs to evolve along with it.
The creation of an organized league in Brazil is more than urgent. The CBF is important in this process and must actively participate in this construction, but understanding that this is a movement led by the associations. There are no easy solutions to complex problems, but the future is going through an inevitable change of direction: the Brazilian Championship needs to be thought of and conducted from the perspective of the clubs, their athletes, their fans and their investors and the strengthening of the product itself.
Record attendance at home and with sold-out tickets in the away sector in 100% of away games so far, Clube de Regatas do Flamengo and its fans take the Brazilian Championship very seriously. This is precisely why the club regrets being forced to enter the field missing due to the call-ups for the World Cup, even if Flamengo and Coritiba's early defeats in the Copa do Brasil made it possible to find a solution by playing on 4/8/26, without conflicting with the Copa do Brasil. Whoever is on the field will do everything to deliver a great spectacle, but it is undeniable that he is already committed to the more than 45 million fans who are passionate about the club."
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Source: CNN