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.
By Samindra Kunti in Santos, Brazil
January 4 – On Tuesday Santos and Brazil bode farewell to Pelé, the nation’s greatest icon. Almost a quarter of a million mourners and supporters, including newly sworn-in president Luiz Inacio da Silva, filed past Pele’s coffin in a serene funeral procession before a private internment.
By Samindra Kunti in Santos, Brazil
January 3 – From former legends to a supreme court justice, Brazilians mourned the passing of Pele on Monday at the Vila Belmiro, the stadium where he exploded into life and became the greatest player of all time. Today, Pele’s final journey will include a cortege through the city before a private burial.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 30 – Brazil has declared three days of national mourning as tributes poured in from across the globe to mark the death of Pele, arguably the greatest player ever, at the age of 82.
By Samindra Kunti
December 28 – For Angelo Anastasio, an immigrant from Polistena in Southern Italy, June 10, 1975 turned out to be an unpleasant day. On that day, the defender was cut from the New York Cosmos roster. And while no football-minded soul genuinely expressed any interest in Anastasio’s fate, that move signified a seismic shift in the American football landscape. The end of the Stone Age had arrived.
December 30 – In a deeply polarized country, Pelé’s passing, an event Brazilians and football fans at large had hoped would never arrive, has provided a moment of rare national unity.
December 22 – Pelé’s health has worsened during attempts to regulate his cancer medication, his doctors have admitted, and his family say he will remain in hospital over Christmas.