Ceará, Fortaleza and Sport, together with their respective federations, presented an official request to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) for the titles of the 1968, 1969 and 1970 North-Northeast Tournaments to be recognized as Brazilian Championships.
The document was filed in Brasília, and the request seeks to equal the achievements of the Roberto Gomes Pedrosa Cup, a competition played in the same period and recognized as a national tournament by the CBF in 2010.
The mobilization began in the second half of 2023, when directors of the three clubs and representatives of the two federations met to carry out a survey. The group gathered documents, press records and official files from the former Brazilian Sports Confederation (CBD).
The central argument of the request is that the North-Northeast Tournament was part of the football expansion project in the country, functioning as a regionalized version of a national championship, as occurred with the Robertão and the Taça Brasil, which were recognized by the CBF as national titles.
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What was the North-Northeast Tournament?
The North-Northeast Tournament was organized by the former CBD between 1968 and 1970. The competition brought together champions from the North and Northeast regions of Brazil and, in the first two editions, the winner of the North Tournament faced the champion of the Northeast Tournament. In 1970, it took on a final quadrangular format, with four teams.
In 1968, Sport beat Remo and became champion of the first edition. The following year, it was Ceará’s turn, which also beat the team from Pará. In 1970, the
For the club, this was a fundamental part of the Brazilian football integration process, promoted by the CBD before the creation of the National Club Championship in 1971.
Will Fortaleza, Ceará and Sport be recognized as Brazilian champions?
The directors of Sport, Ceará and Fortaleza base the request on other cases already recognized by the CBF. In 2010, the entity approved the achievements of the Taça Brasil and Taça Roberto Gomes Pedrosa as Brazilian titles. More recently, Atlético-MG also had the title of “Champion of Champions of 1937” recognized as a national achievement.
Thus, northeastern clubs argue that regional titles should also receive the same status. If the request is approved, Sport would have two national titles, Ceará would win the first, and Fortaleza would also add a new star to its gallery.
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