Internacional’s Deliberative Council approves joining the Liga Forte Futebol

Internacional’s Deliberative Council approved, in a meeting held on Monday (24), the club’s membership of the Liga Forte Futebol (LFF). Although Colorado president Danilo Barcellos is one of the leaders of the group, the matter was still being debated internally.

During the meeting this beginning of the week, the councilors decided between the proposals of the LFF, which received 157 votes in favor, and the Brazilian Football League (Libra), chosen by 145 people.

The division of the Council led members of the Popular Guard fans to protest against councilors who showed support for Libra. Former president Marcelo Medeiros was one of the targets of the demonstration.

“We are seeing a group of people who are not fans. They are turning a technical matter into a political one. We saw, on social networks, a lot of threats to the physical integrity of people who have been contributing to the club for 40 years”, said Medeiros to the press vehicles present at the club’s headquarters.

The two leagues have the objective of taking the Campeonato Brasileiro out of the hands of the CBF and placing it under the control of the clubs, but there are disagreements, especially regarding the division of funds and the amount that each team would be entitled to. LFF defends an immediate equalization of distribution, while Libra is in favor of a gradual adoption of measures that bring more balance.

The two groups disagree regarding the difference in the amount received between the club with the highest and lowest income. For the LFF, this disparity would be a maximum of 3.5 times. Libra works with a difference of 3.9 times, which could reach a minimum of 3.4 times. Faced with the disagreement between the parties, in practice, the groups have acted as blocs for negotiation of transmission rights and no longer as mobilizers for a unified league.

Recently, a new front was created, Grupo União, formed by Botafogo, Vasco, Coritiba and Cruzeiro. Libra is made up of 16 clubs, nine of them from Serie A and seven from Serie B. They are: Atlético-MG, Bahia, Corinthians, Flamengo, Grêmio, Palmeiras, Red Bull Bragantino, Santos, São Paulo, Guarani, Ituano, Mirassol, Novorizontino, Ponte Preta, Sampaio Corrêa and Vitória.

In Liga Forte Futebol there are 25 teams, eight from the elite of Brazilian football and 17 from the second division: Athletico, América-MG, Cuiabá, Fluminense, Fortaleza, Goiás, Internacional, ABC, Atlético Goianiense, Avaí, Brusque, Chapecoense, Ceará, Criciúma, CRB, CSA, Figueirense, Juventude, Londrina, Náutico, Operário-PR, Sport, Vila Nova and Tombense.