Sao Paulo (AFP)
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has set August 9 as the date for the resumption of the national championship, drawing opposition from regional authorities in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Only the state championship of Rio de Janeiro has so far resumed in Brazil, the second country in the world most affected by the new coronavirus, with 65,487 deaths and 1.6 million contaminations listed.
In this context, the governor of the State of Sao Paulo Joao Doria declared that the teams of his state would not participate in the national tournament until they have finished their regional championship, frozen since mid-March due to the pandemic, three days from the end.
"Regarding the CBF's decision to resume (the championship) on August 9, the government of the State of Sao Paulo was not consulted beforehand," said Doria at a press conference.
Without announced date of resumption, the paulista championship is the most important regional championship of Brazil, comprising five teams of first national division (Bragantino, Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos and Sao Paulo) and four of second division, which must take again the 8 August.
The CBF recalled that "the clubs have agreed to play outside their own precincts, transferring their host status to another city or to another state, in case their city is not" liberated "before the dates of the start of the competitions. This decision was taken during a vote supported by 19 Serie A clubs (the first national division, editor's note), including all of those in Sao Paulo. "
© 2020 AFP