The Vice Governor of Minas Gerais, Mateus Simões, reacted to the CBF’s decision and highlighted the favoritism towards clubs from Rio and São Paulo.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) published a press release on Tuesday evening (3) confirming that the match between Cruzeiro and Palmeiras, scheduled for Wednesday (4) at 9:30 p.m. at the Mineirão stadium in Belo Horizonte, will take place behind closed doors.
During the day on Tuesday, the CBF raised the possibility of opening the stadium to both groups of supporters, but did not receive a positive response from the Minas Gerais military police.
In its statement, the CBF announced the formation of a working group on Tuesday afternoon, with several of its leaders present, to analyze the situation and seek a turnaround from the Minas Gerais military police and the public prosecutor’s office. of Minas Gerais in order to ensure the security of groups of supporters of Cruzeiro and Palmeiras.
However, the PMMG informed the CBF that there was not enough time to organize a security operation for the match with supporters of both clubs.
Read more:
Video: Jean Ferrari of UNIVERSITARIO unveils his viability plan, new stadium and recruitment for 2025
To preserve the principles of “equality, technical balance and equal opportunities for all competing teams”, the CBF decided to keep the Mineirão closed, given that in the previous match in São Paulo , both fan bases had been allowed to attend.
“All these reasons were carefully explained by the Director of Competitions of the CBF to the Commander of the Minas Gerais Military Police, Colonel Carlos Frederico Otoni Garcia, on Tuesday afternoon, the day before the match. It was also clarified that due to legal limitations, given the proximity of the match date, it would not even be possible to relocate the match to another state of the federation.
Therefore, the CBF sent a letter to this respected Corporation and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, formally requesting a review of the previous recommendation which only allowed entry to the stadium to supporters of the home team.
Read more:
Leo Fernández or Bengoechea? Similarities and differences of two executioners who made history in Peñarol
Thus, in order to respect all the factors of fairness necessary for the conduct of the match and the integrity of the competition, the CBF, by clarifying the facts within the strict limits of its responsibilities, communicates and reaffirms its position that, having not had a review by the PMMG and the MPMG, access to the stadium must be refused to the supporters of the two teams during the meeting between Cruzeiro and Palmeiras, considering that the spectacle and the rights of the supporters must be preserved .
The Vice-Governor of Minas, Mateus Simões, reacted to the CBF’s position to keep the match behind closed doors. On the social network X (formerly Twitter), he accused the entity of defending the interests of clubs in Rio and São Paulo.
“We are opposed to closing the gates. Our request was for a single fan base, but if the CBF imposes a mixed crowd, the final decision is theirs since it is a private event.
Read more:
Explanation of the Prize Money for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup – Notiulti
Unfortunately, when the CBF punished Atlético by taking away their field, they were quick. But when it comes to a team from São Paulo, the entity turns its eyes and puts Cruzeiro in danger, forcing the taxpayers of Minas to finance the security of the vandals.
It’s a shame that Palmeiras or Flamengo receive treatment and benefits that Minas teams do not receive. But we will initiate a broad public discussion regarding the matches in Minas.
Minas has the best police in Brazil and our teams always rely on the actions of the State, but let it be clear: no criminal disguised as a supporter will benefit from protection and we hope for the same position from the clubs.
Read more:
Botafogo owner reveals he discovered Thiago Almada on Twitter
Wednesday’s match is crucial for Cruzeiro’s ambitions to secure a place in the 2025 Copa Libertadores, while for Palmeiras the duel is decisive, as the club still dreams of the Brazilian title.
Regarding the events surrounding the match scheduled for tomorrow, December 4, between Cruzeiro and Palmeiras in the Brazilian Men’s Championship, Serie A, the CBF has provided some necessary clarifications.
First of all, it should be emphasized that the CBF has always given priority to strict compliance with all regulations regarding the competitions it organizes, respecting the rights of all those involved, including and especially those of the supporters. .
In light of the events surrounding this match, the CBF summoned directors Júlio Avellar (Director of Competitions), André Mattos (Legal Director), Hélio Menezes (Director of Governance and Compliance), and Helder Melillo (Executive Administrative Director ), who, after analyzing all the documentation received from the Minas Gerais Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPMG) and the Minas Football Federation (FMF), have identified that the communication from the Minas Gerais Military Police (PMMG), according to official letter No. 143.1/2024 – DOP dated November 22, 2024, was provoked by the official letter sent by Cruzeiro SAF on November 18, 2024, as l ’emphasized the PMMG itself.
Read more:
Cruzeiro vs Palmeiras: Match Analysis and Prediction
Thus, the initiative for issuing the official letter from the PMMG and the recommendation from the MPMG came only after the provocation by Cruzeiro SAF, which was confirmed by the club in an official letter sent to the FMF on November 18, 2024.
This means that before the provocation by this aforementioned club, no communication or recommendation from public authorities had been issued and transmitted to the CBF.
The CBF received a letter from the Minas Gerais Public Prosecutor’s Office – MPMG recommending that the match be played only with the home team’s supporters last Friday, November 29.
Read more:
Thirteen years without Sócrates: the gambler-doctor who threw away millions in Italy to restore democracy in Brazil
The next day, Saturday November 30, the CBF, fulfilling its duty to respect strict legality, sent a letter to the public prosecutor requesting a review of its recommendation and questioning whether the military police could really guarantee the safety of the match. The same day, in response to the CBF letter, the MPMG reaffirmed the terms of the recommendation for a match with a single fan base.
For the CBF, it must be respectfully ensured that all supporters, particularly those of the two competing teams, have access to the stadium, especially as the highest authority in Brazilian football, in the full exercise of functions and organizational autonomy described and guaranteed in the Federal Constitution (art. 217, I) and the General Sports Law, n° 14.597/2023 (arts. 26 and 27), it has the exclusive competence to supervise all activities related to national football competitions.
Read more:
From Almost Hero to Reserve Because of His Two Red Cards: Why Did Luis Advíncula Go From Hero to Villain in Just 50 Minutes?
Within the framework of this competence, and to preserve non-negotiable principles such as equality, technical balance, and equal opportunities for all competing teams at any stage of the competition, as well as the essential preservation of supporters’ rights, it considers that prohibiting public access to the stadium during this return match breaks the principle of reciprocity in treatment (during the first round, the match had allowed access to both supporter bases) .
However, the role of the CBF as an administrative entity is limited to sporting matters, security being a responsibility of the Public Authority.
All these reasons were widely explained by the Director of Competitions of the CBF to the Commander of the Minas Gerais Military Police, Colonel Carlos Frederico Otoni Garcia, on Tuesday afternoon, the day before the match, during which he was also clarified that due to legal limits and the proximity of the date of the match, it would not even be possible to relocate it to another state of the federation.
Then, the CBF quickly sent a letter to this respected Corporation and the public prosecutor, formally requesting a review of the previous recommendation which restricted access to the stadium only to supporters of the home team.
