Flamengo bets on the strength of its squad and the last minute reinforcement of the Maracanã, after being abandoned for several months after the realization of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In the legendary stadium, it will host San Lorenzo for the Libertadores Cup.
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The mythical stadium of the 'Wonderful City' was the setting for the opening and closing ceremonies of the multidisciplinary event and witness of the unprecedented gold conquest for the Brazilian football team led by Neymar, before being abandoned to its fate. Since then, the Maracanã has become the victim of a political-judicial dispute between the concessionaire that manages it and the Organizing Committee of the Games.
To have its traditional home this Wednesday, Flamengo reached an agreement with the management company, by which it took charge of the cleaning costs, the recovery of the grass, and even the electricity bill - unpaid since December -, with the aim of recovering the stadium on time.
And the effort promises to bear fruit. Of the 53,000 tickets placed on sale for what is considered the largest fan base in Brazil, 48,000 had already been sold by Monday night.
"It is a great motivation to be able to play in the 'Maraca' in front of our fans. It is something that is not happening much with all these problems. Flamengo has wanted to return to the Libertadores for a long time," said goalkeeper Alex Muralha on Monday.
The Comercio/AFP