CBF hits back at Flamengo criticism: board won't back special treatment | OneFootball

The CBF issued a statement after the official note published by Flamengo this Saturday (23).

The entity that governs Brazilian football listed several points after Flamengo’s statement lamenting the decision to keep the 18th round before the World Cup.

Rubro-Negro is expected to have nine players with their respective national teams on the 30th, the date it will face Coritiba. 

According to the CBF, the clubs were already aware of the mandatory player release date for the World Cup.

And they approved the Brazilian football calendar — heavily affected by the World Cup — for this season.

Flamengo would only have suggested postponing its clash with the team from Paraná after being eliminated from the Copa do Brasil.

And the CBF understood that a rescheduling would serve "only the interests of one club affected by the call-ups: Flamengo itself."

Another highlighted point makes it clear that "the current CBF administration does not believe in and will not support any kind of privileged treatment in sport, regardless of the size of the fan base or economic power."

There is also the CBF’s support for "the creation of a league run by the clubs, founded on equal treatment among competition participants and respect for previously agreed rules."

Check out the full statement:

Official statement

Regarding Flamengo’s public statement issued today, in which the club questions the decision to keep the dates of the 18th round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) would like to clarify the following:

1. The mandatory release date for players for the 2026 World Cup was defined by FIFA back in May 2025, and this information was reiterated in different official documents and communications.

2. The 2026 Brazilian football calendar was presented, debated, and unanimously approved by all Série A clubs in December 2025. The round dates, including the 18th, as well as the stoppage period for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, were widely discussed at the competition’s Technical Council, with all clubs taking part. The CBF does not impose a calendar on clubs: it implements the one built and validated jointly with them.

3. At none of those moments did Flamengo suggest postponing or changing the 18th round. That only happened after Flamengo was eliminated from the Copa do Brasil, when the club began suggesting that the Flamengo vs. Coritiba match be rescheduled to a date reserved for the Copa do Brasil in the second half of the year. That request was rejected because it would serve only the interests of one club affected by the call-ups: Flamengo itself.

4. The current CBF administration does not believe in and will not support any kind of privileged treatment in sport, regardless of the size of the fan base or economic power. Several clubs were affected by call-ups for the World Cup, and any solution designed to address only one isolated case would represent a direct violation of the principle of sporting equality that guides the current CBF administration.

5. The 2026 Brazilian football calendar showed clear progress, such as the reduction of State Championships and the start of the Brazilian Championship in January. The CBF reaffirms its commitment to working for the permanent improvement of the calendar and for the creation of a balanced competitive environment through structural and collective solutions, not piecemeal decisions that benefit specific interests.

6. Finally, the CBF records its full support for the creation of a league run by the clubs, founded on equal treatment among competition participants and respect for previously agreed rules. The success of the league project depends on each club respecting throughout the competition the decisions approved by everyone before the start of the championship, rather than seeking exclusive solutions that grant privileged treatment depending on the circumstances.

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

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