Brazil starts favorite Libertadores to break record – 03/04/2023 – Sport

Never in history have clubs from the same country won the Copa Libertadores five consecutive times. Brazil not only can dream of the feat, but also has some of its representatives in the 2023 dispute as the main favorites.

Brazilian teams triumphed in the last four editions of the continent’s main competition. And, with the titles of Flamengo (2019 and 2022) and Palmeiras (2020 and 2021), a brand rarely seen in the competition was repeated.

Only on three other occasions did the cup stay in the same country for so long, always in Brazil or Argentina (1967 to 1970 and 1972 to 1975). In the Brazilian case, the other sequence of this type was seen between 2010 and 2013, with the victories of Internacional, Santos, Corinthians and Atlético Mineiro.

Santos is out of the current edition. The other three join Palmeiras, Athletico Paranaense, Flamengo and Fluminense as the seven representatives of Brazil in the group stage, which will start this Tuesday (3).

The presence could be even greater if Fortaleza had not been eliminated in the third phase, the last one before the groups. The tricolor formation was surpassed by the Paraguayan Cerro Porteño.

Last year, with eight representatives in the tournament keys, Brazil dominated in the knockout stages. In the quarterfinals, there were five clubs from the country against three from Argentina. In the semifinals, only Vélez Sarsfield represented the South American neighbors — and they were unable to prevent a new home final.

In one of the semifinals, Athletico Paranaense passed through Palmeiras. In the other, Flamengo overthrew Vélez with an aggregate score of 6 to 1. The Argentine press hid the result on the cover of its main newspapers and preferred to highlight a victory for River Plate in the local championship.

Brazilian dominance was established precisely after an Argentine final, with River’s victory over Boca Juniors. It was the only one of the six decisions between clubs from the same country that did not have a confrontation between representatives of Brazil.

The following year, when the current Brazilian hegemony began, a study by Pluri Consultoria showed that the economic difference between clubs in Brazil and the rest of the continent indicated that an abyss should separate them even more in the following seasons.

This actually occurred, although revenue rankings such as those produced by the consultancy are difficult to produce. Comparison in the South American scenario is difficult based on numbers, because several of the associations that play Libertadores do not disclose their balance sheets properly.

“Brazilian legislation is more advanced than that of our neighbors on the continent when it comes to transparency in club finances”, says Eduardo Carlezzo, a lawyer specializing in sports law who collaborates with teams in Brazil.

According to him, since 2003, Brazilian clubs involved in professional competitions are required to publish their financial statements annually. “Something that is not the standard in other countries [sul-americanos]with some exceptions, as is the case of Chile.”

It is undeniable, however, the greater power of some in relation to others. Last year, for example, Flamengo had about R$ 1 billion in revenue. Palmeiras, BRL 856 million. The source is the official balance sheets.

It’s not just the money that enters the field, but the value helps to explain why only these two teams took the Libertadores in the last four editions. And why they are favorites again this year.

The investment capacity, however, was still not enough to help them overcome challenges beyond the limits of the continent. Both accumulated failures in the Club World Cup dispute.

Liberators on TV

After three seasons on SBT, the competition returns to TV Globo’s schedule, which will have exclusivity among open channels.

On closed TV, the Disney Group acquired the rights to broadcast matches on its linear channels and also on the Star+ platform. In streaming, there is also the option of the Paramount + platform.

Check the first round matches

TUESDAY (4)
7pm Alliance Lima vs. Athletico Paranaense – Espn and Star+
7pm Argentinos Juniors vs Independiente del Valle – Paramount+
7pm The Strongest vs River Plate – Espn4 and Star+
9 p.m. Independiente Medellin vs. International – Paramount+
23:00 Metropolitanos x Nacional – ESPN4 and Star+

WEDNESDAY (5)
7 pm Aucas x Flamengo – Espn and Star+
7pm Patronato vs Atlético Nacional – Paramount+
9 pm Cerro Porteño vs Barcelona – Espn4 and Star+
21:00 Ñublense v Racing – Paramount+
21:30 Bolivar vs. palm trees – Globo (SP and part of the network), Espn and Star+
21:30 Sporting Cristal vs. Fluminense – Globo (RJ and part of the network) and Paramount+
11pm Deportivo Pereira vs Colo-Colo – Espn4 and Star+

THURSDAY (6)
7 pm Atlético Mineiro x Libertad – Espn and Star+
7pm Liverpool vs. Corinthians – Paramount+
21:00 Melgar vs Olimpia Assuncion – Paramount+
21h00 Monagas v Boca Juniors – Paramount+