CBF hits back at Flamengo criticism: board won't back special treatment

CBF hits back at Flamengo criticism: board won't back special treatment The CBF issued a statement after the official note published by Flamengo this Saturday (23) . The entity that governs Brazilian football listed several points after Flamengo’s statement lamenting the decision to keep the 18th round before the World Cup. Rubro-Negro is expected to have nine players with their respective national teams on the 30th, the date it will face Coritiba.

According to the CBF, the clubs were already aware of the mandatory player release date for the World Cup. And they approved the Brazilian football calendar — heavily affected by the World Cup — for this season. Flamengo would only have suggested postponing its clash with the team from Paraná after being eliminated from the Copa do Brasil.

And the CBF understood that a rescheduling would serve " only the interests of one club affected by the call-ups: Flamengo itself. " Another highlighted point makes it clear that " the current CBF administration does not believe in and will not support any kind of privileged treatment in sport, regardless of the size of the fan base or economic power. " There is also the CBF’s support for " the creation of a league run by the clubs, founded on equal treatment among competition participants and respect for previously agreed rules.

" Check out the full statement: Official statement Regarding Flamengo’s public statement issued today, in which the club questions the decision to keep the dates of the 18th round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) would like to clarify the following: 1. The mandatory release date for players for the 2026 World Cup was defined by FIFA back in May 2025, and this information was reiterated in different official documents and communications. 2.