Why won’t Palmeiras and São Paulo play in their stadiums in the Brasileirão?

Palmeiras and São Paulo have different objectives in this final stretch of the Brazilian Championship.

While the Alviverde team fights for the title of the competition, the Tricolor from São Paulo practically fulfills the table, as it runs little risk of relegation, has no chance of being champion and has already secured a place in the group stage of the 2024 Copa Libertadores for having won the Brazil’s Cup. However, the rivals are in a similar situation: both will not have their respective stadiums, Allianz Parque and Morumbi, available in the final rounds.

This Wednesday, São Paulo will host title contender Red Bull Bragantino, at 8pm, at Vila Belmiro, Santos stadium. This is because Morumbi is being prepared to host a series of international shows. The tricolor house will be the stage for shows by the band Red Hot Chili Peppers, on the 10th, and by the Mexican group RBD, on the 12th and 13th.

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Palmeiras’ situation is even more complicated and Alviverde fans will take a while to watch a match at Allianz Parque again. The venue hosted the GP Week Festival on the 4th and 5th of November, meaning that the duel with Athletico Paranaense, won 1-0 by Abel Ferreira’s team, was held at Arena Barueri, in Greater São Paulo. The Palmeiras venue will also host three other shows on six different dates this month: Roger Waters (November 11th and 12th), Alanis Morissette (14th) and Taylor Swift (24th, 25th and 26th).

As Palmeiras’ partnership with WTorre foresees the use of Allianz Parque for shows and events, the Palmeiras board welcomed the idea of ​​transforming Arena Barueri into the team’s second home – the club had an agreement with the local city hall and had been working to improve the lawn. The stadium is about to be managed by Crefipar, Leila Pereira’s company linked to Crefisa and FAM, which won an injunction and will manage the site for the next 35 years.

“I’ve heard people saying that I’m going to take Palmeiras away from Allianz to go to Barueri, but I’ll never do that. As the president of Palmeiras, using the Barueri arena will always be a priority when I can’t play at Allianz. Zero cost. No paying rent. There is no conflict of interest. Palmeiras now has two stadiums. Some clubs have none”, said Leila Pereira, at a press conference.

Palmeiras occupies second place in the Brazilian Championship, with the same 59 points as leader Botafogo, but with one more game. The Alviverde team has a direct confrontation with Flamengo, who is also in the fight for the title, this Wednesday, at 9:30 pm. São Paulo is in tenth place, with 42, five points away from the relegation zone, and needs one more victory to reach the magic number of 45 points and breathe a sigh of relief in this final stretch of competition.