JUE 28 DE MARZO DE 2024 - 06:58hs.
State is close to officializing return date

Rio de Janeiro authorizes football return behind closed doors since last Saturday

The governor of Rio de Janeiro, Wilson Witzel, published a decree that eases rules of isolation in the State, allowing, starting last Saturday, the reopening of bars, restaurants and shopping centers, and the return of football games. The decree was published in an extra edition of the Official Gazette. High-performance sporting events -including football games- are now authorized, provided they are held behind closed doors and in compliance with hygiene protocols.

The operation of parks, for the practice of sports, is also allowed, as long as there is no agglomeration. Individual outdoor sports activities are authorized, including on beaches and lagoons, preferably close to the people’s residence.

In this way, the Carioca Championship is closer to making a return date official. The Football Federation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Ferj) had already called the clubs of the first division of the State for the virtual meeting of the Arbitral Council this Saturday.

On Monday last week, the city of Rio announced measures to ease social isolation that provide for the permission of football games with 1/3 of the public starting in July. The announcement was made by Mayor Marcelo Crivella, but these rules may be reevaluated depending on the number of coronavirus cases.

In the last 24 hours previous to Saturday’s announcements, 2,134 new cases of COVID-19 and the deaths of 146 people due to the disease were confirmed in the State of Rio. In total, there are more than 59 thousand cases and about 6 thousand deaths in the State.

With the Taça Rio (State’s compatition) interrupted in the fourth round of the second shift-, there are a few games left to be played to find out who will be the state champion in 2020. There are 15 to 17 games left, depending on Flamengo's results.

With regard to the number of games, the regulation allows it to be defined in two possible scenarios. And that will depend on Flamengo, champion of the first round - Guanabara Cup:

1 - Flamengo champion of the two rounds and leader of the general classification - There would be 15 games: the last two rounds of the group stage, the semifinals and the final of the Taça Rio;

2 - Flamengo champion or not in the Taça Rio, but without leading the general classification - There would be 17 games: the last two rounds of the group stage, the semifinals and the Rio Cup final and the State finals;

The virtual meeting of the Arbitral Council will also discuss the resumption of confrontations related to Group Z, where America, America and Nova Iguaçu are competing head to head. Of this triangular, only the last one will dispute the second division (Series B1) in 2021.

There are two games left for this definition: Americano x América and América x Nova Iguaçu. So far, in four games already played, Americano has 9 points; America has 3 and Nova Iguaçu has none.

Source: GMB