Clube de Regatas do Flamengo deeply regrets the treatment it has received in some games outside of Rio de Janeiro in the semifinals and finals of the National Basketball League. It is the responsibility of the National Basketball League to urgently address these issues.

 

The first incident occurred in Mogi das Cruzes, in game 4 of the semifinal playoff against Mogi, where the opposing fans' aggression resulted in spitting directed at our team on the way to the locker rooms and threats of aggression against the delegation when entering and leaving the gym.

 

The second incident took place in Marília, also during Game 4 of the playoff against Bauru, motivated by a hostile atmosphere generated after sad and irresponsible insinuations of favoritism towards Flamengo in a play that occurred in Game 3. Our physiotherapist, Ricardo Machado, as broadcast live on TV throughout Brazil, was assaulted by gym security guards.

 

Clube de Regatas do Flamengo felt negatively affected by the refereeing on several occasions during the championship (including in Game 3 against Bauru, just revisiting several plays, which immediately preceded the opponent's complaint) but, for the good of the competition, it always made its statements private and within the appropriate LNB forums. We never failed to speak to the press after a match due to a disagreement regarding the refereeing, especially because this goes against the credibility of the competition and our own business.

 

The Clube de Regatas do Flamengo presented a Protest Note to the National Basketball League regarding the events in Mogi das Cruzes.

 

Regarding the Marília incident, Clube de Regatas do Flamengo will file a notice of violation so that the STJD Attorney's Office of the LNB can file a complaint with the aforementioned Court.

 

The Clube de Regatas do Flamengo vehemently rejects the episodes that occurred in Mogi das Cruzes and Marília, which speak against the growth of national basketball.

 

Clube de Regatas do Flamengo has won nine state, national, continental, and world titles in the last three years. The club has contributed significantly to the growth of the National Basketball League and the popularity of the sport, having hosted four NBB finals, two Final Four stages of the League of the Americas, and an Intercontinental Cup final, all in three high-quality and comfortable arenas, which will even be used in the Olympic Games. Most importantly, the arenas have always been packed and there has been no recorded incident of aggression against an opponent or the spectacle in general. We have invested seriously and consistently in basketball over the years, always respecting all opponents, the media, and our greatest asset, the Flamengo fans. This Flamengo standard will continue to prevail, regardless of the outcome of a match or a championship.

 

That's what will happen on Saturday, in the final of yet another NBB, the fourth in a row. The main protagonist of the spectacle, Flamengo's fans, will play their part with a huge celebration, and the champion, as has been the case in recent years in all the competitions we've won and lost, will be decided exclusively on the court, for the good of basketball.