Fluminense, Flamengo and the Rio de Janeiro State Government have officially signed a contract that will see the two football clubs manage the iconic Maracanã stadium for the next 20 years.
The state government confirmed back in June that the Fla/Flu Consortium had been awarded the contract after submitting a higher bid than a proposal put forward by Vasco da Gama and the WTorre conglomerate.
The Fla/Flu Consortium bid was worth R$20,060,874.12 (£2.7m/€3.3m/$3.7m), slightly more than the rival bid which was submitted under the ‘Maracanã para Todos Consortium’ banner. The contract was signed off on Friday during a ceremony held at the stadium.
The ceremony was attended by Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt, Flamengo president Rodolfo Landim, and Governor of Rio Cláudio Castro. The contract covers the Maracanã Complex, which includes both the stadium and the Maracanãzinho arena.
According to Maquina do Esporte, Flamengo will cover 65% of the costs and will receive the same percentage of revenue from the Maracanã, with Fluminense to cover the remaining 35%.
Bittencourt said: “We are adversaries on the field, but we are great partners at Maracanã and in other matters of Brazilian football. It is the largest stadium in the world, the greatest postcard of world football. Fluminense and Flamengo will give everything to do a great job in these 20 years, I hope they can decide many titles here together.
“In the last five state championships, we have decided four. I would like to thank the team here at Maracanã and the team and board of Flamengo. We have been very happy with our work and with the strengthening of our team.”
Landim added: “Perhaps the greatest achievement that Flamengo has had in the last six years, honestly speaking, despite the importance of the titles we have won in football, was the Maracanã. After all, if we didn’t have the Maracanã, it would be difficult for us to win the titles.”
Flamengo and Fluminense have managed the stadium since April 2019 after they agreed what was then an initial six-month deal. A new short-term deal was signed with the state government in November last year.
A series of renovations are planned at the Maracanã, focusing on the stadium’s water systems, escalators, elevators, air conditioning and museum. For the Maracanãzinho, repairs will be carried out on the roof and a new audiovisual and acoustic system will be fitted.
Flamengo is also seeking to build a new stadium of its own and and recently secured a package of land in Rio de Janeiro for the project. The club is planning on building an 80,000-seat stadium on a plot of land that formerly housed the São Cristóvão Gasômetro.
