Vasco choose São Januário for Palmeiras semi-final after Maracanã pitch concerns | OneFootball

Vasco will host the Copa do Brasil semi-final second leg against Palmeiras at São Januário on eight November, having opted against requesting the Maracanã.

According to Coluna Do Fla, the choice follows renewed debate around the venue, with the Flamengo and Fluminense-run consortium resisting the club’s latest approach. Pitch wear has been cited, with concerns that another game could overload the surface, and recent refusals were tied to preserving the grass.

São Januário meets this round’s Copa do Brasil requirement of a minimum 15,000 capacity, whereas the Copa Sudamericana demands a stadium holding more than 30,000. Vasco had already indicated a preference to use their home ground for Palmeiras.

The CBF has allotted Vasco home advantage for the return, so the first meeting will be on one November with Palmeiras as hosts.

Vasco must still resolve their Sudamericana venue for the second leg against Boca Juniors of Argentina, as São Januário does not satisfy Conmebol’s threshold. The Maracanã remains an option, although scheduling is complicated by Flamengo and Fluminense’s Libertadores semi-finals in October and the need to protect the pitch.

Source: Coluna Do Fla

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”