Director lifts the lid on Vasco playing at Maracanã, find out more | OneFootball

The CEO of Vasco’s SAF, Carlos Amodeo, explained the reasons why the club has not played at Maracanã this season, even though there is an agreement in place guaranteeing the right to host up to eight matches at the stadium between 2025 and 2026. In an exclusive interview with Globo’s “Troca de Passes” program, the executive confirmed that the classic against Flamengo will be played at Maracanã and detailed the terms of the contract signed with the consortium managed by Flamengo and Fluminense.

The document, titled “Memorandum of Understanding for the Use of the Jornalista Mário Filho Sports Complex (Maracanã),” was signed on April 7 and guarantees Vasco the right to act as the home team in up to four matches per season at the stadium, not counting the classics against Flamengo and Fluminense. At the time of signing, Amodeo stated that the club had secured the right to use Maracanã beyond the traditional matches, ensuring more flexibility for Vasco’s planning.

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Photo: Reproduction.

Seven months after the agreement, Vasco has not yet exercised its right to host any of these matches. According to the executive, the decision was made for “strategic reasons” that take into account factors such as the calendar, sporting performance, and the context of the season. He emphasized that, despite the current contract, the board chose to prioritize São Januário for most of the 2025 commitments.

The matches provided for in the agreement are not cumulative, which means that even without having used the four matches this year, Vasco will only be entitled to four more home games at Maracanã in 2026. Amodeo, however, does not rule out the possibility of a new agreement in the future, especially given the imminent renovation of São Januário, which will leave the stadium unavailable for an extended period.

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Aerial view of Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro — Photo: Fabio Teixeira/Anadolu via Getty Images

As a result, the club has reached an agreement with Botafogo to use the Nilton Santos Stadium for the next three years. In the current Brasileirão, Vasco has hosted only two matches at Maracanã: the classic against Flamengo, valid for the fifth round, which ended in a goalless draw, and the 2-0 victory over Fluminense in the 29th round. With only two home games remaining in the competition, against Internacional and Mirassol, Cruz-Maltino ends the season planning new home strategies for 2026.

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