Football Clubs Unite to Challenge CBF’s Dominance Over the Brazilian League; Discover the Game-Changing Strategy!
The recent Technical Council of Série A, convened at the CBF's headquarters, acted as something of a Trojan Horse. Representatives from all 20 clubs gave the nod to several technical innovations for this year's championship, but the true intention was to establish the groundwork for diminishing the CBF's dominion over future organizational matters. The National Club Council has been restructured, strengthening its capacity to be more assertive rather than merely advisory, especially regarding the tournament's commercial aspects. The overarching aim is to compel the CBF to permit clubs to self-organize the competition by 2027 through a League structure. Hence, the unanimous agreement among the clubs, traditionally split into the Libra and LFU factions, stood out as a significant victory. Clubs such as Flamengo, Fortaleza, Vasco, Inter, and São Paulo now form the CNC, with Palmeiras enjoying permanent guest status. Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap and president of Flamengo, is the most recent, yet also the most militant advocate for reform. Leila Pereira from Palmeiras is seen as a key player in this transformation. "It’s not enough to simply decide we’ll stage a Campeonato Brasileiro. I doubt we could collectively pull off the 2026 edition, but I firmly believe that if we unite from now on, we can effectively manage the tournament in 2027. It can't be another chaotic affair like the past. But this will take time, and the CNC will steer us in the right direction," said the Flamengo president. While the CBF celebrated the host of approved amendments, it found itself under intense scrutiny. Some clubs, including Flamengo, have declared they will not honour the financial distributions tied to commercial contracts deemed by the CBF to be their jurisdiction. Citing Article 160 of the General Sports Law, the clubs failed to remove Article 113 from the General Competition Regulations, which mandates these payments but have indicated they won't comply. Everything will be formalized through the National Club Council, with unity at the forefront. Prior to the Technical Council, clubs convened at Flamengo's base to align on crucial topics for discussion with the CBF. Among these were studies regarding synthetic pitches, limits on foreign players (currently set at nine), financial fair play, and the number of relegations per season. A point of debate was the adoption of synthetic turf, with Dr. Jorge Pagura delivering a comprehensive presentation on the differences between types of pitches. There is currently no evidence that synthetic turf harms athletes. While a vote on its removal did not take place, there is a commitment from the National Club Council to delve deeper into the matter to reach a consensus that satisfies all clubs. Among the unanimous changes, the competition will embrace the FIFA-implemented Antiracism Protocol. This initiative, comprised of three stages, introduces a global gesture against racism in football, allowing referees, players, or officials to signal a racist act by crossing their arms in an X formation. In a notable first, the 2025 Brasileiro will again pause for FIFA's international dates. To avert clashes with the FIFA Club World Cup, scheduled from June 15 to July 13, the league will suspend matches during this period. Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras, and Botafogo will be competing in the FIFA event in the United States, allowing the other clubs to undertake off-season trips or training camps. This edition of the tournament will also unveil a new ball replacement method, similar to the Multiple Ball System employed in the Premier League. Fifteen balls will be strategically placed around the pitch, allowing players to easily retrieve them, thereby increasing playtime. The official ball for the 2025 Brasileiro will be the Nike Flight 25, sporting a fresh design. Changes are also afoot in officiating. A new Advisory Committee of International Specialists will oversee refereeing decisions throughout the competition, comprising veteran referees like Italy's Nicola Rizzoli, who officiated the 2014 World Cup final, along with Argentina's Nestor Pitana and Brazil's Sandro Meira Ricci, both of whom have considerable experience on the global stage. This initiative forms part of the revamped Arbitration Commission, which includes a roster of notable names such as Rodrigo Cintra and Luiz Flávio de Oliveira. - Resource: "https://oglobo.globo.com/blogs/diogo-dantas/coluna/2025/03/clubes-plantam-semente-para-reducao-do-poder-da-cbf-na-organizacao-do-brasileiro-entenda-movimento.ghtml