Boto slams unfair play in Brazil, mocks Financial Fair Play demands

In partnership with

Coluna do Fla

·16 September 2025

Boto slams unfair play in Brazil, mocks Financial Fair Play demands

Flamengo leads the ‘race’ for the implementation of financial fair play in Brazil

Discussions about the implementation of financial fair play continue among the clubs. Flamengo’s football director, José Boto, once again ‘pressed’ the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) for the implementation of the system in Brazil.

People talk a lot about financial fair play, but they don’t know what it is. Financial fair play is something we should all do at home, which is not to spend more money than we have. What happens is that clubs end up creating unfair competition because they spend money they don’t have and don’t pay the debts they owe. Because we have well-known names who haven’t paid players they bought almost two years ago. And CBF needs to do something about this. For example: when European clubs owe us money, like in the case of Leixões or Estrela Amadora, FIFA has already taken action, and they can’t register anyone until they pay us. And this needs to be done here, because otherwise it’s unfair competition,” said Boto, in an interview with ‘Uol’.

Does Flamengo have another request with the CBF?

In addition to the discussion about financial fair play, Flamengo remains active in the CBF’s National Dispute Resolution Chamber (CNRD), taking legal action against Internacional. This is because the team from Rio Grande do Sul signed Thiago Maia, former Flamengo midfielder, in 2024, but has not yet made the payment to Mengão.

OneFootball Videos

At the time, Flamengo and Internacional reached an agreement of 4 million euros (about R$ 25 million) in ten installments for the midfielder. However, even though Thiago Maia has been wearing the team’s shirt for almost two years, Mengão still hasn’t seen ‘a penny’ of the money.

What is financial fair play?

Financial fair play is a set of rules that control the finances of football clubs. The goal is for teams not to spend more than they earn, avoiding financial problems and debts.

In this way, Flamengo supports the model, as it has been responsible with its investments for several years. On the other hand, clubs like Corinthians, Atlético-MG, and Botafogo would have problems with financial fair play.

When will the match between Flamengo and Estudiantes take place?

Meanwhile, Flamengo begins preparations to face Estudiantes (ARG) this Thursday (18th). The match will take place at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã, for the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Libertadores

As tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla will bring the best coverage on the internet, through YouTube, their website, and social media. However, ESPN (cable channel) and Disney+ (streaming) will broadcast the match between Flamengo and Estudiantes.

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