Clube de Regatas do Flamengo has issued a statement regarding its refusal to allow UOL's daily coverage team to enter its Training Center.

This decision is due to the fact that it was this same UOL team, responsible for the daily coverage of Flamengo, that produced the false and irresponsible article, without any basis in documentary evidence and divorced from all the evidence contained in the criminal proceedings regarding the fire at Ninho.

This article was published based solely on statements gathered from a known Flamengo opponent. A person who is being sued by Flamengo for having previously made another false accusation. In this other case, when he was criminally charged with providing any evidence regarding the accusation, he produced none.

UOL, when informing Flamengo about the report it intended to make, purposefully failed to inform about relevant points of the accusation that it would publish, thus preventing the Club from being able to refute in detail, and with evidence, the lies made against it.

Later, when the article was published and Flamengo learned the full content of the accusations, the club was able to prove, through numerous documents, that the article was completely false. For this reason, UOL was asked to retract the false article. To our complete surprise, this was denied by the company.

The accusation of serious and criminal acts against Flamengo, more than four years after the fire at Ninho do Urubu, made without any documentary basis and, furthermore, with the refusal to retract due to the extensive and proven refutation of the facts, led the Club to criminally prosecute those directly responsible for the slanderous article. The criminal case is in the process of being filed.

Likewise, the civil lawsuit is in the final drafting phase and will be filed in the coming days against UOL and those responsible.

In view of this, Flamengo, until there is a retraction and recognition that the article was unfounded, will not allow the entry and permanence on its premises of a journalism team that produced “fake” material, irresponsibly attacking the Flamengo institution.

It is important to highlight that the restriction described above concerns only the Club's day-to-day coverage team, and does not extend to columnists and commentators who, it is known, did not participate in the slanderous allegations against Flamengo.

Finally, it should be noted that Flamengo is open to any criticism made by the press against the Club and its managers. They, when relevant, are beneficial and can help to correct course. What is unacceptable is seeing a false, irresponsible and untimely accusation against the Club and its CEO of serious criminal conduct, as was the case in this matter.