Palmeiras slam Flamengo over Libra payments row: ‘Arrogant, malicious’

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·27 settembre 2025

Palmeiras slam Flamengo over Libra payments row: ‘Arrogant, malicious’

The political and legal dispute within Libra (Brazilian Football League) gained a new chapter this Saturday (27th). Palmeiras released an official statement expressing its repudiation of the conduct of the current management of Flamengo, which filed a lawsuit and obtained, in the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice, an injunction that blocks the payment of R$ 77 million related to one of the installments of the contract signed between the entity and TV Globo for the pay-per-view rights of the Brasileirão.

The amount would be distributed among the clubs that are part of Libra, a group composed of Palmeiras, Flamengo, Bragantino, São Paulo, Santos, Atlético-MG, Bahia, Grêmio, Vitória, Remo, Paysandu, Volta Redonda, ABC, Guarani, Sampaio Corrêa, and Brusque. The contract in question, signed in 2024 and valid until 2029, stipulates the division of funds into four installments, with part of the amount tied to the teams’ pay-per-view audience performance.

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Flamengo claims to have been harmed by the rules for distributing the money and is seeking a review of the agreement. The process is under seal of justice. Initially, the injunction had been denied in the first instance, but the request was granted on appeal by the TJ-RJ. The measure, however, provoked a strong reaction from the other members of Libra, who had already discussed the issue in meetings throughout the year and rejected the proposal presented by Flamengo in September, when they approved new criteria for the distribution of the funds.

In a statement, Libra said it was surprised by the stance of Flamengo’s management, which undermines the group’s harmony. The Rio de Janeiro club is currently presided over by Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, an opponent of Rodolfo Landim—the president who signed the contract in 2024. During last year’s electoral process, Bap had already criticized the terms of the agreement and promised to review the distribution of funds.

Palmeiras, in turn, went further and harshly criticized the conduct of Flamengo’s management, describing it as “predatory and vile.” The São Paulo club emphasized that, despite being one of the beneficiaries of the change sought by Flamengo, it supports the collective growth of Brazilian football. Verdão also recalled that Flamengo’s leaders also refused, at the beginning of the year, to sign Libra’s manifesto demanding measures against racism on South American pitches.

Read Palmeiras’ official statement in full:

Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras expresses its repudiation of the conduct of the current management of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, which, through an injunction granted by the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice, blocked the transfer of R$ 77 million related to one of the installments of the contract signed between Libra (Brazilian Football League) and TV Globo regarding pay-per-view revenues.
By obstructing the flow of these funds in a contradictory and improper manner, the strategy of the Rio de Janeiro club proves to be predatory and vile, as it seeks to financially suffocate the other institutions that make up the bloc, some of which are in difficult situations, in order to subjugate them and extract even more individual benefits.
It is worth noting that Palmeiras has the standing to speak on the matter; after all, in addition to being economically balanced, it would be one of the direct beneficiaries should the change sought by Flamengo’s current management succeed. However, Palmeiras understands that it does not play alone and, therefore, supports the collective growth of Brazilian football.
The arrogant and willful stance of Flamengo’s current management, unfortunately, is not surprising. This is the same political group that, at the beginning of the year, refused to sign Libra’s manifesto demanding action to combat racism on South American pitches.
The Brazilian club with the most national titles, Palmeiras works towards building a sustainable future for all. We trust that the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice will soon perceive the real intentions behind Flamengo’s actions—including concluding that those harmed by the injunction were, in fact, the other Libra clubs—and will restore the legality of the agreement in force between the group and TV Globo, in order to preserve the spirit of cooperation that should guide the sport.