Like last year, the Brasileirão will only know its champion in the last round.
In 22 editions, this is the ninth time (40.9%) that this has happened.
That’s not why the formula pleases everyone, and that’s even a good thing, because all unanimity is stupid, as Nelson Rodrigues said.
What is difficult to swallow are arguments already said by mediocre minds such as “if straight points championships were good, the World Cup would be played like this”, or “right points are like dancing with your sister”, or with your brother, adds the column so as not to fall into crude machismo.
Defining the title in the 38th round is exciting, although it is not the objective of the formula that guarantees a calendar known to all clubs and for the entire season, which allows each one to plan without running the risk of going on forced vacation.
All Botafogo needs to do is draw with São Paulo at Nilton Santos, a celebration that Botafoguense deserves to crown the year in which it once again became dominant.
If not in Rio, the celebration will be at the Palmeiras house and equally epic, or even bigger, because it is unlikely to be the third consecutive championship.
Not out of opportunism should such an interesting Sunday celebration be limited to the emotions it will produce above and below.
Even though in 13 other editions the championship has been decided in advance, the prevalence of the best always deserves to be sung in prose and verse.
Younger people are unaware, but the profusion of knockout tournaments in Brazil was born in São Paulo to prevent Pelé’s Santos from continuing to win everything they competed for.
The knockout formula was invented to produce possible accidents, to the detriment of the championship concept and to inflate the tournament concept.
In fact, we just saw how the Libertadores final touched everyone’s attention and nerves.
And also the Copa Sudamericana, or the Copa do Brasil, in two games, which even seems better.
Add to these the state championships, which, by the way, are the only fun there. Are they not enough?
Imagine if the Brazilian Championship were more spaced out and could respect the exaggeration of FIFA dates.
The average audience, of more than 25 thousand fans in 2024, in slow, gradual and safe progress, would certainly be higher, although a thousand fans smaller than in 23, the best in history.
Be Botafogo champion, and it will be very fair, indisputable.
Be Palmeiras, and it will also be fair, indisputable.
The fight to implement the current model of competition for our main championship took decades to triumph and had to overcome the stupid intransigence of a powerful few.
Today some opponents survive.
Much of it is due to not recognizing the error, as it lacks greatness to do so. Another due to incommunicability between Tico and Teco, and they deserve commiseration.
To those who continue to insist that sport exists to excite, not to provide justice, it remains to be said that nothing is as exciting as seeing justice happen.
And not just in sport.
But there’s always a but.
Even when the country learns that poverty has reached an all-time low, there are those who remember: but inequality continues.
Well, they only told you, Pedro Bó, a silly character created by Chico Anysio half a century ago.
Like the knockout to stop Santos.
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