Sport president drops surprise on Copa do Brasil venue vs Flamengo | OneFootball

Sport's Representative, Yuri Romão, Said Ilha do Retiro Can No Longer Host Matches Against Flamengo

Everyone knows that Flamengo is huge. However, when the recognition comes from a Serie A opponent in the Brasileirão, it can be surprising. As an opponent of Mengão twice in the coming weeks, the president of Sport made a surprising statement about the venue for the match: Ilha do Retiro can no longer accommodate the Most Beloved.

— Ilha do Retiro can no longer host matches of the size of Corinthians, Santos, and Flamengo. It can't. Any manager who sits in this chair, who puts their “little CPF” could, the day after the game, leave here in handcuffs. Because a disaster could happen here. He (the president) is responsible. Due to the structural issue of the Ilha — said Yuri.

— The Ilha is 88 years old. We can no longer fill it to capacity. This is clear. We had problems with Corinthians. Almost had problems with the Santos match. So, there's that too — added the president of Sport, in an interview with ‘Rádio Jornal’, from Pernambuco.

WAS THERE INCONSISTENCY, WASN'T THERE?

Despite Yuri Romão mentioning three teams, only Flamengo will not play at Ilha do Retiro. This is because, in the Brasileirão 2025, the two teams from São Paulo played at the old stadium. Corinthians lost 1-0, and Santos drew 2-2. Only Mengão will be the exception.

After all, Sport vs. Flamengo will be at Arena Pernambuco. The Recife team sold the home advantage for R$ 3 million, causing outrage among local fans. Despite the imminent relegation, the Northeasterners dream of disrupting Mengão's path to Flamengo's ninth championship.

Thus, with the game at the Arena, the understanding is that the stands will be neutral. The expectation is that 30% of the fans will be from Flamengo. The match will take place on November 15, in a delayed match of the 12th round.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO'S FOCUS?

Before thinking about Sport and the Brasileirão, Flamengo has its eyes set only on the Libertadores. After all, this Wednesday (22), the Most Beloved faces Racing (ARG) in the semifinal of the Copa Libertadores da América.

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