Copa América will miss teams in the Brazilian Championship; see affected games

The request made by 12 clubs for the CBF to paralyze the Brazilian championship was rejected by the entity. The national tournament, therefore, will harm some teams during the Copa Americawhich will be held between June 20th and July 14th in the United States.

Those called up for the continental competition will miss at least seven games. The number encompasses rounds 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 of the Brazilian Championship, all of which already have the ball rolling in the USA.

It is likely, however, that clubs with squads will lose their athletes for longer, as the teams will go through a period of preparation before the tournament. The “glass is half full” is that, with the early elimination of some countries, some players must return to their teams sooner.

There are classics in the aforementioned rounds, such as Palmeiras x Corinthians, for example. Other duels that include selectable teams are Fluminense x Inter, São Paulo x Grêmio and Atlético-MG x Flamengo.

The estimate is that at least 20 players will be absent. In the last FIFA Date, in November 2023, the teams in the current Series A transferred 29 athletes to their countries of origin.

See affected rounds and games:

12th round

• Inter x Atlético-MG
• Cruzeiro x Athletico
• Bahia x Vasco
• Fluminense x Vitória
• Botafogo x Bragantino
• Corinthians x Cuiabá
• São Paulo x Criciúma
• Fortaleza x Palmeiras
• Atlético-GO x Grêmio
• Youth x Flamengo

13th round

• Grêmio x Fluminense
• Atlético-MG x Atlético-GO
• Vitória x Athletico
• Flamengo x Cruzeiro
• Vasco x Botafogo
• Palmeiras x Corinthians
• São Paulo x Bahia
• Fortaleza x Youth
• Cuiabá x Bragantino
• Criciúma x Inter

14th round

• Grêmio x Palmeiras
• Atlético-MG x Flamengo
• Bahia x Youth
• Fluminense x Inter
• Vasco x Fortaleza
• Corinthians x Vitória
• Bragantino x Atlético-GO
• Athletico x São Paulo
• Cuiabá x Botafogo
• Criciúma x Cruzeiro

15th round

• Inter x Vasco
• Cruzeiro x Corinthians
• Vitória x Criciúma
• Flamengo x Cuiabá
• Botafogo x Atlético-MG
• Palmeiras x Bahia
• São Paulo x Bragantino
• Fortaleza x Fluminense
• Atlético-GO x Athletico
• Youth x Grêmio

16th round

• Grêmio x Cruzeiro
• Atlético-MG x São Paulo
• Vitória x Botafogo
• Flamengo x Fortaleza
• Vasco x Corinthians
• Palmeiras x Atlético-GO
• Bragantino x Inter
• Athletico x Bahia
• Cuiabá x Youth
• Criciúma x Fluminense

17th round

• Inter x Flamengo
• Cruzeiro x Bragantino
• Bahia x Cuiabá
• Fluminense x Athletico
• Botafogo x Palmeiras
• Corinthians x Criciúma
• São Paulo x Grêmio
• Fortaleza x Vitória
• Atlético-GO x Vasco
• Youth x Atlético-MG

18th round

• Grêmio x Vitória
• Atlético-MG x Vasco
• Bahia x Corinthians
• Flamengo x Criciúma
• Botafogo x Inter
• Palmeiras x Cruzeiro
• Bragantino x Athletico
• Fortaleza x Atlético-GO
• Cuiabá x Fluminense
• Youth x São Paulo

What did the clubs ask for?

The change to the calendar was requested by 12 teams: Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo, Vasco, Athletico, Palmeiras, Atlético-MG, São Paulo, Red Bull Bragantino, Criciúma, Internacional and Corinthians.

In a letter to the CBF, the clubs requested that the Brasileirão be stopped during the Copa América and that the dates of the round of 16, quarter-finals and finals of the Copa do Brasil be rearranged to make room for rounds of the Brasileirão.

Furthermore, it was requested that the rest time between games be reduced to three days instead of four days.

What did the CBF say?

The entity appreciates and considers this broad and permanent dialogue between Clubs, Federations and CBF essential for the improvement and development of the Calendar and of all Brazilian Football and its competitions. The preparation of the Brazilian competition calendar is extremely complex, needing to be adequate and harmonized with the calendars published by FIFA and CONMEBOL, and also with specific requirements of Brazilian legislation (Lei Pelé and Lei Geral do Sport).

Upon receiving the proposal and out of respect for those involved, CBF immediately activated different internal areas of the entity to carry out studies and simulations, which takes time. It also consulted the commercial partners involved in the competition, including the main company holding the broadcasting rights for Série A of the Copa do Brasil.

The calendar for the 2024 men’s football competitions was released in October 2023, four months ago, and it was possible, for the second year in a row, to avoid conflicts with FIFA dates, thus honoring the commitment to its affiliates and clubs.

Therefore, in response to the request from the Series A Clubs, we highlight the following points:

– The clubs did not consider changing the dispute model for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup (Club World Cup). Teams from South America, to reach the final, will have to play three matches, unlike previous years. If the winner of the Copa Libertadores is a Brazilian team, which has occurred in the last five editions, and if the club is also a finalist in the 2024 Copa do Brasil, the proposal presented would not be viable;

– The 2024 Copa do Brasil would have an interval of 4 (four) months between the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, which generates a profound loss of interest among spectators, devaluing the competition and potentially causing losses to clubs, sponsors and rights holders ;

– There would be damage to the dynamics of the competitions as it would result in an interval of practically a month between rounds of Series A of the Brazilian Championship;

– The CBF took great care to consult the main company that holds the broadcasting rights for Série A and the Copa do Brasil. Unfortunately, the intended change directly affects the fulfillment of the contracts, as well as the contracts signed with the sponsors who did all the planning based on the dates previously announced by the CBF;

– The proposal to change the 2024 calendar was sent after the start of several state and regional championships and on the eve of the start of the 1st phase of the Copa do Brasil, which could generate uneven adjustments that would not involve the entire national football calendar and all its competitions;

– The change would result in the extension of the season for 2 (two) clubs, impacting defined vacation dates for athletes and coaching staff, which could lead to serious problems involving labor rights, and would generate impacts for the 2025 Calendar;

– In the proposal presented, the round of 16 and quarter-final stages would take place exactly during the Copa América 2024, with the clubs equally missing, but in a championship with knockout stages and with high financial prizes;

Given these and other reasons set out in full in the attached letter, the CBF informs that it is not possible to accept the request to change the 2024 calendar. However, it remains open to dialogue, as has always happened, to debate broadly with Federations, Clubs , partners and athletes to improve competitions and the national calendar.