South America – Inside World Football

Old school River Plate-Boca derby transformed into a high tech showpiece at Mâs Monumental

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 02:42:38 +0000

Aril 24 – Argentina’s Superclásico between River Plate and Boca Juniors this weekend isn’t just another edition of South America’s most intense club rivalry – it’s a window into the future of football on the continent in a stadium that has embraced technology to transform its operations.

River Plate’s Mâs Monumental, the largest stadium in the region, has become a symbol of how innovation and strategic modernisation are reshaping the footballing experience.
With a history of crowd disturbances at their biggest matches,

DAZN sub-licenses 2025 Club World Cup TV rights to Globo in Brazil

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 01:39:46 +0000

April 24 – Brazilian broadcaster Globo has partnered with streaming platform DAZN to broadcast the inaugural edition of the new Club World Cup.

The tournament is scheduled to take place from June 14 to July 13 in the United States and will feature four Brazilian clubs: Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense, and Palmeiras.

The coverage of Globo, Brazil’s largest broadcaster and behemoth in the TV industry, will include all matches involving Brazilian teams,

Tite pulls out of Corinthians job at last minute after panic attack

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 05:01:06 +0000

April 23 – Former Brazil coach Tite has announced that he is taking an indefinite break from his professional career to address physical and mental health concerns.

Tite, who is 63, was expected to sign a contract with Corinthians, the Sao Paulo club where he made his name winning several titles, including the 2012 Copa Libertadores and the 2012 Club World Cup.

He was expected to replace Ramón Díaz at Corinthians,

Mano Menezes returns to Gremio tasked with turning season their around

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 04:15:19 +0000

April 22 – Gremio have confirmed Mano Menezes as their new manager to succeed Gustavo Quinteros, who was dismissed following disappointing run of results.

Menezes returns to his former club two decades after his first spell with Gremio, signing a contract until the end of the year. Sidnei Lobo and Thiago Kosloski will serve as his assistants.

He arrives from Rio de Janeiro outfit Fluminense where he was fired at the end of last month.

Santos dismiss Caixinha after miserable season start

Andy Elliott — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 09:46:27 +0000

April 15 – Santos have dismissed their manager Pedro Caixinha after a winless start to the new Brazilian league campaign.

The club’s 1-0 defeat against Fluminense at the weekend prompted Santos to fire Caixinha on Monday, the result compounding a miserable start to the season that has also seen them lose to Vasco da Gama and draw at home with Bahia.

“Santos announces that manager Pedro Caixinha no longer leads the first team,” the club said in a statement.

Conmebol forms anti-racism task force. Samoura and Ronaldo included

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 01:45:54 +0000

April 14 – South American governing body Conmebol has launched an anti-racism task force that includes former FIFA general secretary Fatma Samoura.

The task force is to work “on the development and implementation of strategies to eradicate racism, discrimination, and violence in South American football” and includes Samoura, Ronaldo and Fifpro president Sergio Marchi.

The task force will also include other former players and experts. Samoura’s inclusion is notable after she departed FIFA in 2023.

Two fans killed in Chile before Copa Libertadores tie between Colo Colo and Fortaleza

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 09:35:23 +0000

April 11 – Two football fans have died following a confrontation between fans and police before Chilean club Colo Colo’s game against Brazil’s Fortaleza in the Copa Libertadores.

The deaths occurred after fighting erupted when the police blocked about 100 fans as they tried to enter the Monumental Stadium in Santiago. “What is known is that one of the fences crushed these two and an investigation is under way into whether a police car was involved in the death,”

Dominguez sticks to 64-team World Cup theme, saying it is a party for everyone

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 08:28:22 +0000

April 11 – South American football supremo Alejandro Dominguez has repeated the idea of expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams as a one-off centenary celebration of the tournament.

Speaking at the 80th Conmebol Congress, the president of the South American federation said: “We are convinced that the celebration of the centenary will be something unique, because it has only once been 100 years old. And for this reason, we are proposing,

Colombia’s Ramón Jesurún keeps his seat on FIFA Council

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 04:20:00 +0000

April 11 – Colombia’s Ramón Jesurún has retained his seat on the FIFA Council. At Thursday’s 80th Conmebol Congress, Jesurún was re-elected unopposed to serve another term on the FIFA Council, the highest decision-making body of the world federation.

“I thank you for the confidence in me to continue representing Conmebol and South American on the FIFA Council,” said Jesurun (pictured) following his election.

Alongside Ednaldo Rodrigues of Brazil, Ignacio Alonso of Uruguay and Mario Sol Munoz of Ecuador,

Superbet swoops up Brazil second division title rights

Andy Elliott — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 10:37:24 +0000

April 10 – Betting operator Superbet has become the new title sponsor of Brazil’s second division, the Série B.

The competition is run by the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF), with the terms of the deal not disclosed.

Superbet CEO Alexandre Fonseca said: “We want to further boost the entire football ecosystem and Série B plays an essential role in the development of Brazilian sport.”

Superbet also sponsors six state championships,

Brazil mourns loss of goalkeeping legend Manga, aged 87

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 01:20:04 +0000

April 9 – Manga, one of Brazil’s goalkeepers at the 1966 World Cup, has died at the age of 87 following a battle with prostate cancer.

Haílton Corrêa de Arruda, who went by the football name Manga, passed away on Tuesday at the Rio Barra Hospital in Rio de Janeiro. He ranked as one of Brazil’s and South America’s finest goalkeepers.

He rose to fame at Botafogo where he played from 1959 to 1968 alongside greats like Mario Zagallo and Garrincha.

Investing in his future: CBF’s Rodrigues gives 330% rise to state presidents, coupled with VIP Qatar 2022 junkets

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 04:15:24 +0000

April 7 – The salaries of the presidents of the 27 Brazilian state federations have jumped from R$50,000 (US$8,555) to R$215,000 (US$36,777) per month, an increase of 330% under the administration of CBF boss Ednaldo Rodrigues that also extended to junkets at the 2022 World Cup.

Last month, Rodrigues was re-elected unopposed as the chairman of the Brazilian FA, but a damning report by investigative journalist Alan de Abreu from leading magazine Piauí has exposed the questionable use of CBF’s financial resources,

Conmebol brings in new 8 second rule for its club competitions

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 10:55:25 +0000

April 2 – Conmebol has introduced a major rule change for the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, becoming the first confederation to cap the time goalkeepers can hold on to the ball at eight seconds. If keepers exceed the limit, the opposing team will be awarded a corner kick.

The regulation is part of a broader push by lawmaking body IFAB (International football association board) to speed up play and reduce time-wasting. Conmebol is using its biggest competitions,

Brazil sack Dorival mid-2026 qualifiers, but have yet to find a replacement

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 07:03:41 +0000

March 31 – Brazil have dismissed manager Dorival Junior following the disappointing results in World Cup qualifying that culminated with last week’s 4-1 defeat at the hands of Argentina.

On Friday, after days of speculation, the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) and Dorival (pictured) parted ways after the stinging defeat in Buenos Aires, the biggest loss to Argentina since 1964.

In January, last year Dorival took over from interim manager Fernando Diniz who never got Brazil on the rails as the CBF flirted with Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.

CBF debates Dorival’s fate after Brazil humbled by Argentina in 2026 qualifer

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 09:15:00 +0000

March 28 – In the aftermath of Brazil’s chastening 4-1 defeat against Argentina, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) will discuss the future of manager Dorival Junior today (Friday).

CBF boss Ednaldo Rodrigues will reportedly meet the coaching staff with speculation mounting over the future of Dorival Junior. Earlier this week, Brazil were outclassed by Argentina in World Cup qualifying.

“There’s always a lot of pressure, but I never run away from my responsibilities,” said Dorival.

SIGA take Female Leadership Summit to Brazil ahead of 2027 World Cup

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 00:12:40 +0000

March 26 – Sports integrity body SIGA is to host the inaugural Latin American edition of its Summit on Female Leadership in Sport in São Paulo on May 12 at the law firm Pinheiro Neto Advogados.

The summit reflects SIGA’s ongoing commitment to promoting female leadership and advancing gender equity in Sport.

As part of its global mentorship programme, SIGA now has 40 mentors in the region and applications have been received from a wide range of mentees throughout Latin America.