For years, a perverse partnership between the CBF and Globo prevented Brazil from even discussing the implementation of a true national championship like those experienced decades ago in other countries in the first world of football.
The pair of compadres Ricardo Teixeira, at CBF, and Marcelo Campos Pinto, at Globo, both denounced by Fifagate, in the name of the excitement of the knockout stages, which was also present in all other tournaments, blocked the existence of competition that would guarantee performance by throughout the season and rewarded the most consistent team, almost always the best.
It was only in 2003, with the approval of the Fan Statute, created during the FHC government by provisional measure, and promulgated as law during Lula’s first administration, that the football country started to have the championship in round and round matches with consecutive points.
The fruits, regardless of heart-wrenching final stretches or not, are abundantly reaped with the gradual increase in fans in stadiums, as a result of the possibility given to clubs to plan safely to maintain the formula and without forced vacations due to early eliminations.
Furthermore, once again, in its 22nd edition, just a year after coming of age, the Brasileirão comes to an end in a breathless atmosphere for Palmeiras and Botafoguenses, head to head, with the same 70 points.
The alviverdes have one more victory, a situation that allows them to host their rival, this Tuesday (26), with the comfort of those who can draw and leave the last two rounds, against Cruzeiro, away, and Fluminense, at home , to become three-time champion in a row, a feat to date only achieved by São Paulo.
Have Palmeiras been playing their best football in 2024?
Certainly not.
Botafogo was playing much better, sometimes in a charming way, Fortaleza had performances that were more pleasant to watch, even Inter, in a beautiful recovery after the scourge that devastated Rio Grande do Sul, and Flamengo, more rarely, after to have recovered his DNA.
Pragmatic, balanced, regular, consistent, cold (I swear I won’t use the much-used resilient as a narrative), qualify the alviverde’s performance as you wish, just recognize that no team reaches the top of a very difficult championship for the third time in a row without having all the merits .
The 35th round, this weekend, demonstrated this in abundance.
Off went Professor Abel Ferreira’s pupils to face Atlético Goianiense’s last team in hostile territory. They limited themselves to 1-0, with a goal from Raphael Veiga and a spectacular play from Estêvão, before the 20th minute, and managed the result without fear or shine until the end.
Meanwhile, at Nilton Santos, the hitherto leader Botafogo struggled to draw with Vitória, also going behind in the 19th minute of the first half, and only making it 1-1 at the end of the second, thanks to an own goal, with which Glorioso completed the third game without any of its players scoring even a goal. Right now. It was 0-0, also in their stadium, with Criciúma, and with Atlético Mineiro, against ten, in Horto without fans.
The black and white team can win in the green house, be Brazilian and continental champion.
To do so, they will need to have the same competence as Palmeiras and play much more football.
Points running!
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