"I clarify that, for this weekend, the games already scheduled are preserved, because they take place on Saturday and Sunday. The interruption will be made from the 15th, for 15 days, until the 30th," said Governor João Doria (PSDB).
The members of the boards of directors and of the Sao Paulo Football Federation (FPF) were notified in the morning, before the official press conference of the State Government, when there was still the hope of reversing the decision of Governor João Doria (PSDB).
Now, the question will remain on national competitions. The Federal Government is not studying a general shutdown in football, and the CBF plans to toughen up and update some of the COVID-19 prevention rules for the matches in which it performs. In addition, the entity that commands national football has already stated that it does not intend to interrupt its championships.
FPF claims that schedule is maintained
Even with the impossibility of holding the games in the State, Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos, president of the FPF, was emphatic in saying that football will not stop. The federation and clubs are looking at ways to continue the dispute so that the final takes place on April 23. One way out may be to play in other states, but nothing has been decided.
The parties meet next Monday (15)
A meeting with the clubs, representatives of the State Government, FPF and the Public Ministry, which guided the stoppage, is scheduled for Monday (15) to define the course of the competition.
Rio government denies that it will host the competition
In view of the rumor that the Paulistão championship could happen in Rio de Janeiro, the acting governor, Cláudio Castro, rejected the possibility in an official statement due to the advance of cases in the state. Before that, the president of the Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation (Ferj) went so far as to say that he saw no obstacles to the transition.
Clubs abide by decision
The clubs in Sao Paulo promptly announced that they would abide by the decision. Santos, Corinthians - which is experiencing an outbreak, with about 25 infected - and Palmeiras released positions.
Repercussions
Former player and host of Band's 'Os Donos da Bola' show, Neto agreed to the stoppage. "Nothing is more important than a life, than a bed, than the masks and the vaccine," he said live. In an interview with Rádio Bandeirantes, Vanderley Luxemburgo criticized the measure. "I see it as hypocrisy," he said.
And what about the rest of Brazil?
On Wednesday morning (10), the CBF released a study on how to conduct football safely during the pandemic and defended the maintenance of tournaments even in the face of the high number of cases and deaths. The entity's president, Rogério Caboclo, said that football would not stop. This is not the reality in two other states besides Sao Paulo. Santa Catarina and Paraná have already suspended the states tournaments due to the advance of the pandemic in that regions.
According to the columnist Rodrigo Mattos, from UOL Esporte, the Copa do Brasil will also be affected. The CBF board would have asked Ferj to have Rio de Janeiro host two games from Sao Paulo teams next week. The leaders approved; however, the governor Cláudio Castro vetoed the possibility.
Source: UOL
