In a column published on Saturday (6), journalist Ruy Castro said that Flamengo became Brazilian champions nine times after winning the national title most recently. Therefore, he would be an ennea champion.
“It’s an enea to be engraved with pride on the cup, before they try again to reduce it to an octo, alleging the legal decision that awarded the 1987 title to an exponent of the 2nd division”, wrote one of the masters of Brazilian journalism.
For the columnist, “the 1987 title, defying sporting bodies, was given by a brutal STF minister” to Sport. In short, an unfair decision.
Red-black like Ruy, I would love to agree with him. Ruy, however, is wrong. Just remember the main episodes of that year’s confusing dispute.
The imbroglio began with the announcement by the then president of the CBF, Octávio Pinto Guimarães, that he would not organize the Brazilian Championship due to lack of money. From then on, the most popular teams in the country decided to unite into a group, the Clube dos 13, which included Flamengo. They set up a competition with 16 teams, called the Copa União.
Soon, however, the CBF went back and decided to intervene in the championship. In a meeting between the confederation and the Clube dos 13, it was decided that the Copa União would be renamed the Green Module and that the other teams would face each other in the Yellow Module. Thus, two competitions took place in parallel.
As agreed and documented, Green’s top two teams, Flamengo and Internacional, should play against Sport and Guarani, leaders of Yellow. From this final clash, the Brazilian champion would emerge.
However, the teams from Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre refused to play these final matches with the winners of Yellow. With an unforgettable group (Zico, Bebeto, Renato Gaúcho, Andrade and co.), Flamengo was the best team of 1987, but did not follow the game calendar to the end. The title went to the club from Recife.
As journalists André Gallindo and Cassio Zirpoli detail in the book “1987 – De Fato, de Direito e de Cabeça” (ed. Cepe), a duel in court began that year and lasted for more than three decades, generally with victories for Sport.
In July 2024, a third extraordinary appeal reached the STF. The following month, minister Flávio Dino denied the complaint, reaffirming the title of the Pernambuco club.
Waiting like that, forgetting that you didn’t fulfill what was agreed, doesn’t match Flamengo’s 130-year history.
