Ronaldo pulls Cruzeiro out of Mineirão Stadium for 2023 season
January 24 – Cruzeiro will no longer play at the iconic Mineirão stadium in 2023, according to club owner Ronaldo.
South America
Betano adds Supercopa do Brasil to naming rights roster
January 20 – Online bookmaker Betano has added the naming rights to the Brazilian Supercopa to the naming rights it secured in December to the Copa do Brasil.
Betsson extends Peruvian league naming rights deal
January 19 – Betting sponsorship of football in the barely regulated markets of South America is continuing to expand with Betsson announcing it is extending its partnership with the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) for four years.
Flamengo stay focused on Maracana but don’t rule out move to own stadium
January 17 – Flamengo president Rodolfo Landim has said that his club will prioritise the Maracana as the club’s home venue though is not discarding a possible future move away from the iconic stadium.
Amstel extends Copa Libertadores deal to 2026 and adds women’s club titles
January 12 – Dutch beer-brand Amstel have extended their official beer partnership with Conmebol, sponsoring the Copa Libertadores until 2026 as well as adding the women’s version of the competition.
Conmebol boosts club competition prize money to $300m
January 10 – Entering a new commercial rights phase, the South American confederation Conmebol has increased prize money across its club competitions to $300 million. The winner of the flagship club competition, the Copa Libertadores, can now earn as much as $28 million.
CBF gets shirty over Bolsonaro supporters’ storming of Congress
January 10 – The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has condemned the far-right supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, who stormed the capital in their thousands and rocked Brazil’s democracy on Sunday, for wearing the iconic yellow shirt of the national team.
Brazil mourns passing of goal scoring legend Roberto Dinamite, aged 68
January 9 – Brazil is once again mourning the passing of a footballing great. Following the funeral of Pele, Vasco da Gama legend Roberto Dinamite died on Sunday, also following a battle with colon cancer, aged 68.
Book review: a tale of Brazilian greatness and global legacy
January 6 – Brazil 1970 and Pele will forever remain the standard bearers of the beautiful game. In the book ‘Brazil 1970 – How the Greatest Team of All Time Won the World Cup’, author Sam Kunti chronicles the story of Brazil’s landmark victory.
Brazilian media hammers former stars for failing to honour Pelé
By Samindra Kunti in Sao Paulo
January 6 – Following a media storm, Ricardo Kaka has failed to explain why he did not attend Pelé’s funeral procession. Kaka, Ronaldo and other World Cup-winners as well as Neymar have been heavily criticized for failing to pay their last respect to Pele in Santos.
Estrelabet expands into Brasileirão with América shirt deal
January 5 – Online bookmaker EstrelaBet, who before Christmas sealed a deal with the Brazilian federation (CBF) for sponsorship of all its futsal clubs, has now moved into mainstream Brazilian football becoming the main sponsor of América Futebol Clube.
Pelé laid to rest as fans celebrate his life, but Brazil’s football stars are conspicuously absent
By Samindra Kunti in Santos, Brazil
January 4 – On Tuesday Santos and Brazil bode farewell to Pelé, the nation’s greatest icon. Almost a quarter of a million mourners and supporters, including newly sworn-in president Luiz Inacio da Silva, filed past Pele’s coffin in a serene funeral procession before a private internment.
Thousands mourn Pelé at Vila Belmiro before he begins his final journey
By Samindra Kunti in Santos, Brazil
January 3 – From former legends to a supreme court justice, Brazilians mourned the passing of Pele on Monday at the Vila Belmiro, the stadium where he exploded into life and became the greatest player of all time. Today, Pele’s final journey will include a cortege through the city before a private burial.
World mourns loss of Pele, the greatest ever, aged 82
By Andrew Warshaw
December 30 – Brazil has declared three days of national mourning as tributes poured in from across the globe to mark the death of Pele, arguably the greatest player ever, at the age of 82.
More than a footballer. How Pelé’s star power ignited a new world for soccer
By Samindra Kunti
December 28 – For Angelo Anastasio, an immigrant from Polistena in Southern Italy, June 10, 1975 turned out to be an unpleasant day. On that day, the defender was cut from the New York Cosmos roster. And while no football-minded soul genuinely expressed any interest in Anastasio’s fate, that move signified a seismic shift in the American football landscape. The end of the Stone Age had arrived.