CBF bans 7pm midweek games, sets new Sunday limit in Brasileirão | OneFootball

CBF announced the changes this Monday (22)

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has made a significant change to the schedule of the Brazilian Championship official. Starting with the resumption of the competition after the World Cup, the entity has eliminated matches played at 7:00 PM (Brasília time) during midweek. In addition, the calendar imposes stricter limits on Sunday night games.

The new policy establishes that no Sunday match will kick off after 7:30 PM (Brasília time). The changes were announced by the CBF this Monday (22).

This measure puts an end to a common practice in previous editions, when it was frequent to see kickoffs scheduled for 8:30 PM. The guidelines are already in effect immediately for rounds 19 to 24, and the confederation plans to keep the same standard in the following rounds.

WHY DID CBF CHANGE THE KICKOFF TIMES?

The entity’s main goal is to increase average stadium attendance. That is because technical studies carried out by the CBF showed that the ‘late’ time slots affected fan turnout.

The analysis used a comparative index that isolated the attendance performance of different groups of clubs. In this way, the CBF confirmed that those time slots resulted in figures below the national average.

WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS FOR FLAMENGO?

With the details of rounds 19 to 24 released, Flamengo fans can now see the changes in practice. The Rubro-Negro returns to the pitch on July 22 (Wednesday) at 9:30 PM (Brasília time) against Chapecoense at Arena Condá. After that, the club hosts São Paulo at the Maracanã on the 26th (Sunday) at 6:30 PM (Brasília time).

For the clash against Internacional on July 29 (Wednesday), the match at Beira-Rio will kick off at 7:30 PM (Brasília time). Then, on August 9 (Sunday), the Maracanã hosts the match between Flamengo and Vitória, also scheduled for 7:30 PM (Brasília time). The detailed schedule continues with an away match against Mirassol on August 16 (Sunday) at 6:30 PM (Brasília time), and the showdown with Cruzeiro on August 22 (Sunday) at 8:30 PM (Brasília time).

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT FAN LOGISTICS?

The change mainly benefits fans who attend matches at the stadium, making it easier for them to get back home after the events. By avoiding matches ending too late at night, the CBF believes the ‘home factor’ can help boost stadium occupancy.

In short, the entity is seeking a balance between the need for TV ratings and the spectator experience in stadiums. Keeping this new schedule in the upcoming rounds will be the definitive test to establish the model as the standard for Brazilian football in the coming years.

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