RIO DE JANEIRO: Football in Rio de Janeiro was suspended on Saturday, just two days after it returned from its coronavirus hiatus.
In a decree published in Rio’s official gazette, city mayor Marcelo Crivella said more time was needed to implement sanitary protocols. He added that training facilities of all clubs would be inspected before the suspension is lifted on June 25.Flamengo beat Bangu 3-0 in Rio’s state league on Thursday, which was the first professional football match in South America since March. Two of Rio’s biggest clubs, Botafogo and Fluminense, have opposed the sport’s resumption as Brazil grapples with Latin America’s worst COVID-19 outbreak.
Fluminense plays their home games at the Maracanã Stadium, which currently holds up to 78,838 spectators. Botafogo is still responsible for the greatest victory ever recorded in Brazilian football: 24-0 against Sport Club Mangueira in 1909. Brazil has more than a million confirmed coronavirus cases, almost 50,000 of which have been fatal, according to the latest official figures. (Xinhua)
