Ex-player lifts the lid on Flamengo’s 1987 title: “Respect for Sport, but…” | OneFootball

Leonardo Blames CBF for the Controversy Between Flamengo and Sport Over the 1987 Title

Former player Leonardo, who came up through the youth ranks at Flamengo, revealed behind-the-scenes details of the controversy in the 1987 Brazilian Championship. The sports executive sees no logic in considering Sport the champion of that edition and considers the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) as the main party responsible for the situation.

— No, no, with all due care and respect for Sport, but you know? First, it’s already a shame, this anomaly from the CBF, which doesn’t recognize and then recognizes […] but I think at the time they admitted they weren’t capable of organizing the championship. They gave the Clube dos 13 the chance to run the championship – said Leonardo, on the Charla Podcast, adding that:

— The Green Module brought together the 20 main clubs in the country. The other, from 20th to 40th. Série A, Série B, man. Two champions come out. You have to play a match to recognize the Brazilian champion. Honestly, it’s a bit… So, Flamengo, I don’t want to say they were right or wrong, didn’t show up for that game. And Inter wouldn’t have shown up, São Paulo wouldn’t have shown up. Because they signed. Then Sport showed up and won by default (W.O.) this game that never happened, and the debate goes on to this day, right? At FIFA, their board recognized both -, he highlighted

What happened in 1987?

In 1987, the CBF, lacking the funds to organize the Brazilian Championship, authorized the Clube dos 13 to create the Copa União, which brought together 16 of the most prominent teams, called the Green Module. However, the confederation backtracked, organized the Yellow Module, and demanded a playoff between the champions of the two modules to determine the overall champion.

Flamengo and Internacional, the top two teams in the Green Module, refused to face Sport and Guarani, the leaders of the Yellow Module, which resulted in Sport winning by default (W.O.) in the final quadrangular. Despite the controversy, Flamengo was crowned champion of the Green Module, considered the “first division” by many.

Was Leonardo there?

The former full-back was a starter on the star-studded team that featured Zico, Renato Gaúcho, Bebeto, and Zinho. “I also think there should be both official recognition and popular recognition. That, if we analyze it, is Zico’s last title in the 80s,” he said.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.