Flamengo will participate in a Northeast football celebration on January 21.01st. With a large fan base in the region, the Red-Black team will face Ceará for the Taça Asa Branca on that date. The new competition, which will debut in 2016, will feature the previous year's Copa do Nordeste champion and an invited team. The match will be held at Castelão Stadium in Fortaleza.

The press conference to launch the match took place in Gávea on Thursday afternoon (January 07.01). Flamengo president Eduardo Bandeira de Mello was present; Flamengo coach Muricy Ramalho; Northeast League president Alexi Portela; and Ceará sports secretary Jeová Motta. The Flamengo president praised the competition and the friendly match.

"We're here to promote the Taça Asa Branca, which Flamengo will play on the 21st against Ceará, the current champion of the Copa do Nordeste. Flamengo is very honored to have been invited to honor Ceará. The Copa do Nordeste is a competition that has already become popular with the people. It has everything it needs to be a success," he stated.

"We're going with our main team, including the new reinforcements. I'm sure that not only fans from the Northeast, but also from all over Brazil will follow with interest, and it will be a great way to open the Brazilian football calendar," he added.

Alexi Portela also commented on his expectations for the match.

"This is another step we're taking in the Northeast. We hope to mark the preseason with some great games. Ceará usually plays to a full house, and there's no better place than Castelão to kick off this annual event," he said. "We hope the people of the region turn out and that Ceará, the rightful champion of the Copa do Nordeste, puts on a great performance," he concluded.

Jeová Motta praised the match's venue and shared a tribute to Flamengo's coach. "We're able to host the launch of the Asa Branca Cup, which is a source of pride for the people of Ceará, and it's a double satisfaction: We have a Ceará club that was a champion, and Flamengo, which is a great club. We're going to fully honor the Ceará fans," he stated. "We have a football museum, a walk of fame, and we'll now have the pleasure of inviting Muricy Ramalho to set foot on the walkway to be immortalized in our stadium," he said.

After thanking for the tribute, Muricy commented on his impressions of the confrontation.

"It's really cool to be participating and to be able to return to Fortaleza. I hope we have a good game. It's an important match; it's part of the preparation to have a game of this level. I think it will be an intense game," he analyzed.

The president of Flamengo took the floor again to talk about Flamengo fans in the region.

"It's an excellent opportunity for the club. We have many fans and members outside of Rio, especially in the northeast, and we will always try to strengthen our relationships with them," he commented.