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Flamengo's debut confirmed at Maracanã

Meeting at the Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation reaches an agreement with clubs

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The clubs heeded Rubens Lopes' request, peace was made, and Flamengo will debut in the Campeonato Carioca at Maracanã. On Tuesday morning, the president of the Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation (FERJ) canceled a meeting with the clubs and threatened to move Flamengo's Sunday game against Caxias from Rio's main stadium.

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With the presence of Patrícia Amorim (Flamengo), Roberto Dinamite (Vasco), and Roberto Horcades (Fluminense), the clubs and the Federation reached an agreement. Only Botafogo did not send its representative, but was represented by its general vice president, Antônio Carlos Mantuano.

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An agreement was reached with Suderj (Rio Grande do Norte State Sports Federation) to prevent the stadium from being divided into sections (A and B) during the first two rounds. Under the new rules, fans will only be allowed to circulate in the section where they purchased their ticket.

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Starting with the first round, tickets will only be sold at the Maracanã box office up to three hours before kickoff. Two hours before each game, a screening will be conducted: only those with tickets will be allowed in the stadium's surroundings. 
New prices will be valid in the first round

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The ticket price increase was maintained. However, clubs will have to submit a survey and justification to the Public Prosecutor's Office, which may even force prices back to last year's levels.
 
The minimum price according to the regulations is R$20, but for the classics at Maracanã, R$30 will be charged for a regular seat (50% increase compared to last year), R$40 for the yellow and green seats (33% increase), R$50 for the white seat (40% increase) and R$150 for the special seat (25% increase).
 
Patricia Amorim was the most vocal advocate for the increase. She presented a study showing that the average ticket price in Rio is only the ninth highest in the country.
 
- To visit Maracanã, tourists pay R$20. And a ticket for a game between a major and minor team is R$20. That's not counting the half-price ticket, which cuts the price in half. A Paraná fan pays R$50 to see a classic between Coritiba and Atlético-PR. In Rio, the cheapest ticket is R$30.
 
Roberto Dinamite was the only president of the major corporations to be against the increase.
 
"I was outvoted. I thought the cheaper tickets would attract a larger audience and make up for the financial impact," he said.
 
Roberto Horcades also defended the new prices.
 
"I think it's even wrong to talk about an increase. It's just a price update. There haven't been any changes in the last two years," he said.
 
The clubs have committed to conducting a study on online ticket sales.
 
According to Rubens Lopes, the earlier event didn't take place because the big four didn't send their presidents or even "senior officials who could make the necessary decisions." The meeting, scheduled to discuss the demands made by Suderj—regarding ticket sales and fan comfort—was rescheduled for later in the afternoon, when an agreement was finally reached.