Flamengo blasts CBF in Brasileirão: “The error is clear, no fairness” | OneFootball

In the wake of the latest crossroads facing the 2026 Brazilian Championship, regarding whether or not to postpone the 18th-round matches of 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 are we going to solve these problems? In this case, the mistake is very clear. In a round-robin competition, where every round carries the same weight in deciding the champion, there is no fairness or level playing field when a team is forced to take the field without several players, as is the case with Flamengo and Palmeiras, exclusively because those athletes were released to their national teams (four to Brazil). It is necessary to acknowledge the progress made by the current administration of the Brazilian Football Confederation, which, among other things, has sought to optimize and adjust the calendar to solve historic 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 National Team and the country’s main domestic competition, someone ends up being harmed in this conflict of interest. In this case, once again, the clubs are the biggest losers. A contrast in this scenario is UEFA, which defended its members and its competition and managed, together with FIFA, to secure permission for the UEFA Champions League final to feature its stars on the field. When teams are forced to play without their main players because of call-ups, the fans above all are the ones who lose. Both those who pay for tickets and those who follow the broadcasts. The quality of the spectacle is compromised, competitive integrity is affected, and the product loses value, in addition to creating a backwards logic: the teams that invest the most are precisely the ones most penalized. In the past, stopgap solutions from the CBF sought to soften this recurring problem, such as preventing a team from playing if five of its players were called up. Another current example is that the Brasileirão does in fact stop during FIFA windows, but resumes only two days later. Flamengo has already had to charter aircraft to bring back players who played on a Tuesday night on another continent and then took the field less than 48 hours later. These stopgap measures no longer match the reality of Brazilian football. While club investment increases, Brazilian teams are able to bring back players still at the peak of their physical condition, keep talents for longer, structure multidisciplinary departments with top professionals, and invest more and more 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 take part in this construction, but with the understanding that this is a movement led by the clubs. There are no easy solutions to complex problems, but the future depends on an unavoidable change of course: the Brazilian Championship needs to be thought out and conducted from the perspective of the clubs, their athletes, their fans, and their investors, and with a focus on strengthening the product itself. A record crowd-drawer at home and with away-section tickets sold out in 100% of away matches so far, Clube de Regatas do Flamengo and its fans take the Brazilian Championship very seriously. That is precisely why the club regrets being forced to take the field shorthanded due to World Cup call-ups, even though the early exits of Flamengo and Coritiba from the Copa do Brasil made it possible to find a solution by playing on 8/4/26, without conflicting with the Copa do Brasil. Whoever is on the field will do everything possible to put on a great show, but it is undeniable that it is already compromised for the club’s more than 45 million passionate fans.

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