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The Conmebol summit shows pessimism at this time for having an audience in the only final of the current edition of the Libertadores, on January 30, 2021 in Maracaná. Last week, in a Council meeting and contact with clubs, the entity’s management reported that it had not yet ruled out the sale of tickets, even in limited quantities, and that it depended only on the Brazilian government (specifically Rio de Janeiro).
There were some expectations to fulfill and one of them was Flamengo to advance in the competition. The possibility of having the Rio de Janeiro team, in the opinion of Conmebol, would be an important factor due to the lack of movement of the fans in the event of the release of the gates and a greater possibility of convincing the local authorities , if there are clear sanitary conditions.
With the pandemic, even if the Rio authorities release the public, there will be limitations to travel, including internally in Brazil: four Brazilian teams still have the opportunity to be in Maracanã on January 30 (Palmeiras, Grêmio, Inter and Santos). If it is a match between two teams from outside Brazil, Conmebol’s assessment is that there would be hardly any demand for travel restrictions. That is why the presence of the “owner of the house” was something that would make Conmebol negotiate the release with greater diligence.
Flamengo fell in the round of 16 after losing on penalties to Racing, this Tuesday (2). At this moment, Conmebol’s focus is on obtaining the release of the authorities to be able to use at least the Maracaná boxes, with reduced capacity, to house sponsors.
Last week, the top hats of the South American confederation also informed the procedures that the finalist clubs will have to follow before the final. Delegations must arrive at least five days before in Rio and isolate themselves in a hotel, leaving only for training. The idea is to test all members every other day for Covid-19; there is a fear that an outbreak will jeopardize the decision if a team has many absences due to illness.
There will still be confirmation of how many members each delegation can bring to Rio; today, this number is 55 when teams travel. It will depend on how the health protocol is in Rio at that time. The change of command in the mayor’s office, with the departure of Marcelo Crivella (Republicans) and the entry of Eduardo Paes (DEM), at the beginning of January, also leaves the situation more nebulous.
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