Botafogo and Fluminense get R$1m, Flamengo miss out

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·6 January 2026

Botafogo and Fluminense get R$1m, Flamengo miss out

A R$ 1 Million Grant Would Help Clubs Attract Foreign Fans at the Club World Cup; Botafogo and Fluminense Have Already Received It

The Government of Rio de Janeiro launched an incentive for Rio clubs that competed in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States: Botafogo, Flamengo, and Fluminense. However, six months after the competition, Rubro-Negro is the only Rio club that has not received the amount.

Botafogo and Fluminense each received the R$ 1 million grant in October, through companies linked to the clubs. This information is from GE. The amount was intended to help finance the teams’ actions in the United States to attract fans and foreigners.

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DID FLAMENGO CHALLENGE THE GOVERNMENT?

Flamengo requested the payment at the beginning of December and questioned the Government’s requirement for an invoice as a condition for the transaction. In a letter signed by general director Paulo Dutra, the club states that the requirement “ignores not only the non-profit civil association nature of CRF, but also the fact that it concerns a non-earmarked tax resource.”

DID THE GOVERNMENT RESPOND WITH THE REASON FOR NON-PAYMENT?

The State Department of Tourism informs that all payments from the State Government depend on compliance with legal requirements, including the issuance of an invoice, as per the signed contract. Fluminense and Botafogo chose to carry out the project through contracted companies, fully complied with the required legal procedures, and therefore have already received the funds. In Flamengo’s case, after the club questioned the need for an invoice, the process was forwarded to the State Attorney General’s Office (PGE) for analysis of the tax classification, and it remains within the legal timeframe,” said the government, in contact with GE.

WHAT WERE FLAMENGO’S INITIATIVES IN THE UNITED STATES?

At the time, Flamengo offered a series of initiatives focused on institutional presence, brand internationalization, and fan engagement. Among them, the highlights were Casa Flamengo in Orlando and the Resenhas Rubro-Negras, exclusive events organized in the host cities of the matches, always on the eve of the games.

The R$ 1 million amount was intended to “foster, promote, and develop tourism.” However, Flamengo argues that a payment receipt is “legally sufficient for non-taxable income” and emphasizes that this is not a “service provision contract,” and is therefore outside the scope of the Tax on Services of Any Kind (ISS). If the tax were applied, 5% of the grant would be deducted, that is, R$ 50,000.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.