Understand the origin of the dispute between Flamengo and Sport and the CBF’s official decision on the title
The 1987 Brazilian Championship is one of the most controversial and debated episodes in the history of national football. The central controversy revolves around a question that has persisted for decades: why does the 1987 Copa União have two champions, Flamengo and Sport? The answer lies in a complex mix of institutional crisis, political rift and a legal dispute that reached the country’s highest court. This article explains the context of the tournament, the course of the dispute and the official decision of the CBF and the Court regarding the legitimate champion of that year.
The context: the crisis at CBF and the creation of the Copa União
In 1987, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) declared that it did not have the financial conditions to organize the Brazilian Championship in traditional ways. Faced with the impasse, the thirteen main clubs in the country at the time came together to create an independent league, the Clube dos 13. This organization was responsible for devising and executing a new tournament, called Copa União.
The championship organized by the Clube dos 13, called Módulo Verde, featured 16 teams and was a success with the public and critics. However, the CBF, in order not to lose its authority, decided to incorporate the Copa União into its own regulations, creating a Yellow Module with 16 other teams. The crucial point of the conflict was in the confederation’s regulations, which provided for a final cross between the champions and runners-up of each module to define the only Brazilian champion of 1987.
The dispute on the field and the imbroglio in the courts
The Módulo Verde was played at a very high level and ended with Flamengo, led by stars like Zico and Renato Gaúcho, becoming champions by beating Internacional in the final. Sport Club do Recife, in turn, was the winner of the Yellow Module, beating Guarani.
According to the regulations imposed by the CBF, the final quadrangular should take place between:
- Flemish (Green Module champion)
- International (runner-up of the Green Module)
- Sport (Yellow Module champion)
- Guarani (runner-up of the Yellow Module)
Claiming that the initial agreement with the CBF did not provide for this crossover, Flamengo and Internacional, the two finalists in the Green Module, refused to participate in the quadrangular. The CBF then declared the absence of both due to WO and determined that the final of the Brazilian Championship would be played between Sport and Guarani. The Pernambuco team won the match and was declared by the entity as the 1987 Brazilian champion.
The official decision of the CBF and STF on the title
Flamengo’s refusal to compete in the quadrangular began a long legal battle. For decades, the Rio club claimed recognition of the Copa União title as the Brazilian title of that year. In 2011, the CBF even published a resolution that divided the title, recognizing both clubs as champions.
However, the issue was taken to the Federal Supreme Court (STF), the last instance of the Brazilian Judiciary. In 2017, the STF handed down its final and definitive decision on the case, determining that Sport Club do Recife is the only and legitimate Brazilian champion of 1987. The decision became final in 2018, which means that there is no longer any possibility of appeal. Therefore, from a legal and official point of view, the CBF only recognizes Sport as the title holder.
The 1987 Brazilian Championship controversy arose from an institutional conflict between the Clube dos 13 and a weakened CBF. Flamengo and Internacional’s refusal to follow the confederation’s regulations, which provided for a crossing with the winners of the Yellow Module, took the dispute to the courts. After decades of litigation, the final decision of the Federal Supreme Court consolidated Sport Club do Recife as the only official Brazilian champion of 1987, ending the issue in the legal sphere, although the debate remains alive in the memory of fans.
