Flamengo will file a complaint against Sport at the CBF

The brutal treatment of Flamengo at Ilha do Retiro led the board to file a complaint with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) against Sport and the Pernambuco Military Police. After the club's 2-1 victory, about ten police officers invaded Flamengo's locker room, intending to take forward Marcinho to the police station, alleging that the player had thrown a glass of water at a fan. This incident displeased the board, and they decided to take action to prevent further incidents.

"I'm going to file a complaint with the CBF against Sport and also against the Pernambuco Military Police, asking for strong action. There were incidents with Botafogo, and they tried to do the same with Flamengo. If it weren't for the intervention of our delegation leader (Plínio Serpa Pinto), we would have had serious problems with Marcinho being arrested," said Michel Assef, Flamengo's representative in sports organizations.

According to Michel Assef, it is possible that Ilha do Retiro will be closed.

"The Fan Statute makes it clear that the home club is responsible for the safety of the visiting team. And what we saw was the police fabricating a complaint against our athlete. We've always had good relations with clubs in the Northeast, but again there were problems with a Rio de Janeiro club in Pernambuco. But this is Flamengo. They need to think twice before resorting to violence against our team."

COPY OF THE REPRESENTATION SENT BY FLAMENGO TO THE CBF

Flamengo Regatta Club, by the Chairman of its Board of Directors and legal representative before the undersigned sports entities, respectfully comes to Your Excellency to promote

Legal &

against Sport Club of Recife, for the reasons given below:

In compliance with the schedule of the Brazilian Professional Football Championship of the 1st Division, Flamengo played against Sport, on Sunday pp, 29/06/2008, at Ilha do Retiro.

At the end of the match that Flamengo won 2-1, twelve military police officers from Pernambuco, falsely claiming that Flamengo athlete “Marcinho” had thrown water at a Sport fan — a fan who never showed up, by the way — wanted to take the Flamengo athlete to a police station or Military Police battalion under the fallacious argument that the player had behaved inappropriately.

As Botafogo players and directors were recently victims of brutality by the Pernambuco Military Police, the head of the Flamengo delegation, Plínio Serpa Pinto, fearing that the same would happen to Flamengo, reacted energetically and opposed the PM's orders, not allowing the athlete to be taken away by the military police.

Faced with the impasse, Flamengo employees sought out Sport directors and employees who did not want to intervene in the incident, failing in their duty, as home team, to provide security for the visiting team.

It seems, Mr. President, that it is becoming fashionable for the Pernambuco Military Police to mistreat teams of athletes from Rio de Janeiro.

In view of the reasons set out, Flamengo requests that Your Excellency punish, in accordance with the law, Sport for the omission of its directors.

Rio de Janeiro, July 1, 2008.

Michel Asseff

Representative of Flamengo's CR