Flamengo ask Iphan to recognise Nação fanbase as Brazil’s intangible heritage | OneFootball

According to Globo.com, Flamengo have filed a request with the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional to have their fanbase, Nação, recognised as Brazil’s intangible cultural heritage.

Club icon Zico delivered the dossier to Iphan president Leandro Grass and intangible heritage director Deyvesson Gusmão during a visit to the club’s Historic Heritage collection in Gávea.

Grass said the submission opens a dialogue on recognising football-linked culture in Brazil, calling the Nação Rubro-Negra proposal an innovative possibility within national heritage policy.

In a video to supporters, Zico described Flamengo as a borderless nation of 45 million people united by a shared language and passion.

The move forms part of a strategy to seek United Nations recognition of Flamengo as the first symbolic cultural nation on the planet. Launched in 2025, the campaign aims to mobilise the fanbase and argues the club’s reach transcends borders.

Fans can sign at peticao.flamengo.com.br. The petition has roughly 600,000 signatures, with a target of 1 million.

After a filing, Iphan checks completeness and whether the proposal fits intangible heritage categories. If preliminarily accepted, experts study the case and issue an opinion before an Advisory Council vote, with approval leading to inscription.

Source: Globo.com