The Giant's Birthday: Maracanã, 75 Years of Glories, Reforms and an Identity Crisis

Maracanã turns 75, but is Flamengo the present? While grandpa blows out the candles, Cazé suffers in the World Cup and the Brasileirão... well, the Brasileirão left us in a vacuum.

Today, June 16, our Temple of Football turns 75. A toast to the good old Maracanã. The stage of unforgettable tears, like those of the "Maracanazo" in 1950; of divine feats, like Pelé's thousandth goal; of epic redemptions, like Romário's lead us to the 1994 World Cup; and even of Olympic glories with the Brazilian team's gold medal in 2016. It has seen it all. But the question that remains in the air, as the candles are blown out, is: is the Maracanã of today still the Maracanã?

The issue goes beyond nostalgia. A recent article raises the paradox of the Ship of Theseus: if all the parts of a ship are replaced over time, is it still the same ship? The Maracanã lost the general section, that democratic sector where the people watched the game standing up. It gained numbered seats, VIP boxes and a modern look to meet FIFA standards for the 2014 World Cup and the 2007 Pan American Games. It became safer, more comfortable and, for many, more soulless.

The identity crisis, however, is overshadowed by an even greater crisis: that of purpose. Currently, the stadium is managed by a consortium formed by Flamengo and Fluminense, which signed a 20-year concession worth R$186 million. A duo that, in practice, rules the roost on the most sacred field in the country, often making life difficult for Vasco, which has to negotiate hard to use the stadium under fair conditions. The power, previously symbolic, now has a contract and a CNPJ.

And the birthday present? A bombshell. Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, is still going strong with his plan to build his own stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2029. It's the ultimate irony: on the day he celebrates his 75th birthday, Maracanã discovers that its main tenant is moving. Landim's idea is to use Maraca only for classics, transforming the giant into a luxury "plan B." This is not just a change of address; it is a redefinition of power in Rio de Janeiro and Brazilian football. Flamengo's move towards financial independence, seeking to control 100% of its gaming revenues, could leave Rio de Janeiro with an overpriced, underutilized and melancholy white elephant. Happy birthday, Maraca. The future looks lonely.

Suffering in Dollars: The Club World Cup on Cazé's Screen

While the debate about stadiums is raging here, on the other side of the equator, in the United States, the new and juiced-up FIFA Club World Cup has begun. And who better to translate the experience of Brazilian fans than Casimiro Miguel? On Saturday, during the broadcast of the goalless draw between Al Ahly and Inter Miami, Cazé gave us a moment of pure Brazilian juice.

In the 40th minute of the second half, Al Ahly striker El Shahat received the ball unmarked, right in front of the goal, and... hesitated. Casimiro's reaction was the same as all of us on the couch: a cry of agony that echoed across the internet. "What's up, man? What's up, El Shahat? You're kidding, my brother! You're kidding, El Shahat!" In a billion-dollar tournament, with all the pomp of FIFA, the image that marked the debut was that of a streamer suffering like an ordinary fan. This demonstrates a fundamental change: emotional narrative, authentic connection, is now worth more than polished and official broadcasting. Where FIFA sees a "global product", Casimiro sees a ball that had to go in.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in America, logic prevailed. Bayern Munich opened their campaign with an emphatic victory over Auckland City on Sunday, showing that the financial and technical gap to the Europeans remains enormous. And although Boca Juniors fans invaded Miami with their traditional "mystique", the reality is that, at the end of the day, what counts is what happens on the pitch. And, sometimes, what doesn't happen, as El Shahat – and Cazé – felt.

And yesterday, Sunday, the Brazilian teams made their debut in the international competition. Palmeiras tried hard to beat the Portuguese club Porto using the tactics of a Portuguese player, Abel Ferreira. They tried, they created chances, but they didn't score. The final result was a goalless draw.
Botafogo, led by American John Textor, in a game that started yesterday and ended in the early hours of today, won 2-1 against the new North American team Seattle Sounders.

Boardroom Review and Empty Locker Room (Vault)

The real "nakedness", in the sense of nakedness, is in the clubs' finances. The drama now is accounting. São Paulo's president, Julio Casares, for example, went public with an audacious promise: the club, which currently owes around R$1 billion, will have its accounts cleared by 2030 and will once again be a "world player" in 2028. The promise is nice, but the timetable is vague: "it will start to sound better from 2027". It is the kind of deadline that guarantees tranquility for the current term and leaves the bill to the successor.