Players enter the field at Mineirão wearing the 'Mengão is five-time champion' shirt

BalloonSport

The controversy over who is the first five-time Brazilian champion, São Paulo or Flamengo, gained a new chapter this Sunday. After a week of bickering, the Flamengo players took the field at Mineirão Stadium, where they lost 3-1 to Cruzeiro, wearing shirts emblazoned with the slogan "Mengão is five-time champion" (watch the video below).

The Flamengo board's plan is to respond to the Tricolor leaders, who insist on refusing to admit that the Rio de Janeiro team won its fifth championship in 1992. Last week, a shirt with the phrase "Penta único" (Single penta) was made by the São Paulo club's sports equipment supplier, further fueling the debate. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) itself also does not recognize Flamengo's 87 Copa União title. According to the organization, the champion that year was Sport.