Maracanã continues with Fla-Flu duo, and Vasco fights in court – 04/27/2023 – Sport

The 59,867 fans present at Maracanã in the 2-2 draw between Vasco and Palmeiras, last Sunday (23), for the Brazilian Championship, lived a nostalgic afternoon watching the club from Rio de Janeiro act as host in the stadium, something common until the 2000s , but a rarity in recent years.

Maracanã is the target of a legal battle that puts the government of the state of Rio de Janeiro and the duo Flamengo and Fluminense, temporary administrators, on one side, and Vasco, interested in participating in the concession process, on the other.

On Wednesday (26), the Secretariat of the Civil House of Rio authorized yet another extension of the temporary use permit for Flamengo and Fluminense.

Clubs will pay BRL 14.2 million to manage Maracanã until October 26.

The state government confirmed this Tuesday (25) to the report that it hopes to resume, in less than 40 days, the definitive bidding process for the sports complex, which includes the Maracanã stadium and the Maracanãzinho gymnasium.

The process was scheduled for October 2022, but was barred the day before because the TCE (State Court of Auditors) pointed out irregularities in the public notice and determined that the state adjust items related to the administration and division of values.

The Rio de Janeiro Executive has until next Saturday (29) to submit the adjustments determined by the body to the TCE.

“The state government is finalizing the justifications and amendments to the Maracanã concession process,” the government said in a statement.

The stalemate between Maracanã and Rio clubs began in 2019, the year in which the state government terminated the contract with the concessionary group, formed at the time by the companies Odebrecht, AEG and IMX, owned by former billionaire Eike Batista.

Winners of the bidding held in 2013, when Maracanã was renovated for the World Cup, concessionaires stopped paying the value of grants from 2017 onwards.

The then governor Wilson Witzel determined the expiry of the contract and passed the administration to the hands of Flamengo and Fluminense through TPUs (Terms of Permission Onerous for the Use of Public Goods), a temporary authorization that needs to be renewed every six months, while the definitive grant is not made.

Since then, Flamengo and Fluminense have taken control of the stadium through renovations — in the last four years, there have been eight.

Vasco, which in 2019 lived in a deep financial and political crisis, showed no interest in entering the administration at the time.

The change of route took place last year, with the arrival of the group of investors 777 Partners, which took over Vasco’s football, transforming it into SAF (Sociedade Anônima do Futebol).

With an indication of relief in the accounts and hope of better performance in football, the club began to charge its entry into the administration. Vasco wants to compete in partnership with WTorre, the same company that operates Allianz Parque, in Palmeiras.

Vasco also started to claim in court the right to send occasional matches at the stadium, which is in accordance with the public notice in force, but goes against the wishes of Flamengo and Fluminense.

The duo considers having a loss for having to play at Maracanã in games of lesser appeal, while the rival chooses the big matches. Another argument is the deterioration of the pitch: by the end of April, Maracanã will have hosted seven games in two weeks.

Vasco’s board states that its proposal for the concession of Maracanã will allow the participation of all clubs in Rio. In a meeting last year, club directors proposed to rivals the division of 35 annual matches for Flamengo, 20 for Fluminense and 15 for Vasco. The proposal was not accepted.

Last Wednesday (19), Vasco, through its joint-stock company, filed a writ of mandamus with a request for an injunction in the Justice of Rio. The intention is to suspend the contract with Flamengo and Fluminense and demand that the public call be finally made, with Vasco among the bidders.

The swoop increased in response from the Fla-Flu duo and the state government, accused of omission by Vasco.

In the document in which they respond to the writ of mandamus, sent to the Rio court on Monday (24), Flamengo and Fluminense say they are “the biggest football clubs in Rio de Janeiro” and that Vasco “would not even have the capacity to take the minimum audience of 22,000 paying fans”. The duel between Vasco and Palmeiras, however, had more than double the audience.

The defenses of Flamengo and Fluminense also stated in the document that the two clubs represent the public interest of “70% of the population of the state of Rio de Janeiro”.

The Rio State Attorney’s Office also responded in a harsh tone to Vasco’s judicial action. He said that the request for an injunction is of “unique perversity”, because, if the current contract is suspended, “Maracanã will have to close its doors for an indefinite period”, according to the government.

The state does not want to take over the management of Maracanã, as it argues that it does not have the administrative and financial resources to directly exploit the equipment.

Parallel to the legal disputes, Vasco and Fluminense face each other at Maracanã on May 6th, for the Brazilian Championship. Vasco returns to visitor status at the stadium.