By Paul Nicholson
January 27 – Conmebol’s flagship Copa America will be played in the US in 2024 for the second time with all 10 of the South American nations and the six best Concacaf teams competing.
January 27 – Mastercard has renewed its sponsorship of Conmebol’s Copa Libertadores through to 2026 with the addition of the confederation’s women’s club competition – Libertadores Feminina – to the agreement.
January 25 – Another premium sponsorship asset in Brazil has been picked up by an online bookmaker. EstrelaBet have become a main sponsor of the Mineiro state championship – Campeonato Mineiro.
January 24 – Brazilian authorities have been alerted to attempts to manipulate matches in the Copinha, one of the country’s most important youth tournaments.
January 24 – Cruzeiro will no longer play at the iconic Mineirão stadium in 2023, according to club owner Ronaldo.
January 20 – Online bookmaker Betano has added the naming rights to the Brazilian Supercopa to the naming rights it secured in December to the Copa do Brasil.
January 19 – Betting sponsorship of football in the barely regulated markets of South America is continuing to expand with Betsson announcing it is extending its partnership with the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) for four years.
January 17 – Flamengo president Rodolfo Landim has said that his club will prioritise the Maracana as the club’s home venue though is not discarding a possible future move away from the iconic stadium.
January 12 – Dutch beer-brand Amstel have extended their official beer partnership with Conmebol, sponsoring the Copa Libertadores until 2026 as well as adding the women’s version of the competition.
January 10 – Entering a new commercial rights phase, the South American confederation Conmebol has increased prize money across its club competitions to $300 million. The winner of the flagship club competition, the Copa Libertadores, can now earn as much as $28 million.
January 10 – The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has condemned the far-right supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, who stormed the capital in their thousands and rocked Brazil’s democracy on Sunday, for wearing the iconic yellow shirt of the national team.
January 9 – Brazil is once again mourning the passing of a footballing great. Following the funeral of Pele, Vasco da Gama legend Roberto Dinamite died on Sunday, also following a battle with colon cancer, aged 68.
January 6 – Brazil 1970 and Pele will forever remain the standard bearers of the beautiful game. In the book ‘Brazil 1970 – How the Greatest Team of All Time Won the World Cup’, author Sam Kunti chronicles the story of Brazil’s landmark victory.
By Samindra Kunti in Sao Paulo
January 6 – Following a media storm, Ricardo Kaka has failed to explain why he did not attend Pelé’s funeral procession. Kaka, Ronaldo and other World Cup-winners as well as Neymar have been heavily criticized for failing to pay their last respect to Pele in Santos.
January 5 – Online bookmaker EstrelaBet, who before Christmas sealed a deal with the Brazilian federation (CBF) for sponsorship of all its futsal clubs, has now moved into mainstream Brazilian football becoming the main sponsor of América Futebol Clube.