FFERJ has released the table and the dates for Campeonato Carioca 2004. You can find all the information here: http://lancenet.ig.com.br/idx.asp?f=/resultados/resu_lft.htm&p=/resultados/resultados.htm The 12 teams were divided in 2 groups of 6. In the first phase (Taça Guanabara) they will play round robin and the 2 best teams of each group will face each other in playoffs (1A X 2B; 1B X 2A) till they decided the winner of Taça Guanabara. The 2nd phase (Taça Rio) is the same format but this time the teams of Group A will meet the teams of Group B and vice-versa. The worst team of the 2 phases will be relegated to the 2nd division of Carioca in 2005. The winners of Taça Guanabara and Taça Rio will have a 2 legs face off to decided the Carioca champion of 2004. Group A: Vasco Botafogo Americano Bangu Olaria Portuguesa Group B: Flamengo Fluminense América Friburguense Madureira Cabofriense The first round will start in 1/24: 24/01 Gr. A Vasco x Portuguesa Gr. B Cabofriense x Flamengo 25/01 Gr. A Botafogo x Olaria Gr. A Americano x Bangu Gr. B Madureira x Fluminense Gr. B América x Friburguense
State championships are cool. Right now, i think that Flamengo has the best squad and apparently Flu and Bota won't get any better. Let's see who Vasco is gonna try to get....
I don't think tha fla has the best squad... I think tha Botafogo squad is better, cuz it mixes youth and experience and it's midfield is very powerful (Tulio, Fernando and Valdo) and regular. I also need to say that without any doubt our club structure is the best among the 4 big clubs. To finish, the moral and the confidence of the playes, the staff and the supporters is the highest in rio! SOU, SOU, SOU... BO-TA-FOGOOOOOOO
Vasco da Gama Vasco seems to want to sign the better players. Botafogo IMO doesn't have a good team, neither does Fluminense, who will loose CA. Flamengo will face Vasco in the finals and lose IMO.
Só porque no seu estado só 2 times disputam o campeonato? Até pouco tempo seu time não sabia o que era ganhar um brasileiro, agora você quer tirar onda??
Nope. I simply don't see any use for State Championships anymore. I don't care about the number of competitive clubs in this or that state tournament. They use to have historical importance in the past - that's undeniable - but this is no more. They survive for benefit of the State Federations only, which conserve their power along years (sometimes decades) - at the expense of the clubs, leaving them poorer and poorer. Most of the times, teams PAY to play, thanks to ridiculously low attendances. The point is that chiefs of these very Federations (like Caixa-D'Água, or Farah) fool the fans, selling the idea that main inner-state rivalries could only survive by maintenance of these tournaments. Way far from the truth...
Is there any chance the state championships will ever be abandoned, or are they here to stay? Personnally, i kinda like them.
They're were nearly abandoned two years ago by major clubs, in favour of regional tounaments (Rio-São Paulo, Sul-Minas, Nordestão, etc.), which were more profitable and interesting for fans. But, in the end, the power of the parasites - or State Federations - speak louder, and everything came back as it was before. Now THIS is a step back...
is the attendance for the state championships good because of the local rivalries? Im goin to Brazil next year as an exchange student, so itll be nice to have soccer year round!
No, it isn't - not nowadays. In fact, good attendance, even on local derby's, depends specially on the moment of each team. In ordinary matches, the presence is simply outrageous, sometimes reuniting less than 1000 fans. State Championships used to be huge before 80's, when the crowd commonly surpassed 100.000 spectators - this type of tournment was given some importance, then. Today, because of shrinkin of the stadiums capacitie due security issues, the attendance is generally smaller - but they're still great in some important games on Brazilian Championship and Brazilian Cup, the two major national competions; sometimes it surpasses 80.000 spectators on largest stadiums. Local rivalries can't carry State Championships anymore, even facing the fact that few derby's can still reunite - very, very rarely - 50.000 or more. Rivalries can perfectly survive on the ambit of greater competitions exclusively - they don't need of the existence of State Championships. Prefer to attend on derby's (or general matches) on national competitions next year. They're the best bang for your buck.
is the attendance bad because the popularity of soccer has dropped, or are people just fed up with state championships?
Second option. Football (or soccer, pick one) has been popular as ever, but few people are really willing to their money to attend on matches of the worthless State Championships. But the country bad economic situation sure contribute to keep attendence off the stadiums these days. I must point that many people still disagree about the collapse of State Championships and it's importance, defending them with 'claws and teeths'. But their argument is based more on passion then reason.
State championship is very cool !!! I really like it !! I'm looking forward to Rio de Janeiro's State Championship !!!
I love State championhip too... and the crowds aren't so small as lex said. At least here in Rio, when Bota, fla, vasco or flu play away matches against small clubs like olaria, madureira, cabofriense, etc, the stadiums are always full. And in the last championship final there was about 90.000 to watch vasco-flu in maraca.
well it depends... in matches of small clubs, the attendance is very small, unless in a important match or derby (américa x bangu, americano x goytacaz, etc), but cabofriense has the simpathy of cabo frio's people, so I would say about 2 to 4.000 people.
Fogão nas cabeças É lógico que dará FOGÃO. O Flu contratou uns barangas e velhos (Euller), é um verdadeiro asilo. O Vasco tá dormindo no ponto. O Fla contratou o decadente Júnior Baiano e uns tais de Juliano e Rafael. Agora, o Bebeto de Freitas tem que anunciar a contratação de pelo menos 3 jogadores (zagueiro, apoiador e atacante) todos decentes. Já perdemos Rivaldo e Guilherme pro Azulinho de Minas e o Marcelinho pro Vasco, e podemos perder o Marcelo Ramos pro Corínthians. O Bebeto tem que aproveitar que Andrei, Ricardinho e Aristizábal estão dando sopa e contratá-los. Aí só dará FOGÃO no CARIOCÃO. BOTAFOGO ALVINEGRO BALANÇA O CORAÇÃO DA GENTE PRIMEIRAAAAAAAAA PRIMEIRAAAAAAAAA PEIMEIRAAAAAAAAA EU TÔ NA PRIMEIRAAAAAAAA Saudações botafoguenses