Campeonato Brasileiro Série A

Tournament names
Taça Brasil	1959–1968
Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa	1967–1970
Campeonato Nacional de Clubes	1971–1974
Copa Brasil	1975–1980
Taça de Ouro	1981–1983
Copa Brasil (again)	1984–1986
Copa União	1987–1988
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A	1989–1999
Copa João Havelange	2000
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (again)	2001–Today

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
	File:Brasileirao Petrobras Logo.png
Countries	Brazil
Confederation	CONMEBOL
Founded	August 23, 1959; August 7, 1971 (in its current format)
Number of teams	20
Levels on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Campeonato Brasileiro Série B
Domestic cup(s)	Copa do Brasil
International cup(s)	Copa Libertadores; Copa Sudamericana
Current champions	Fluminense (4th title) ; (2012)
Most championships	Santos; Palmeiras; (8 titles each)
TV partners	Rede Globo; Band; SporTV; Premiere FC (pay-per-view); Fox Sports (only highlights and VTs)
Website	Official Site
	File:Soccerball current event.svg 2012 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A

The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɛɾji ˈa]), popularly known as the Brasileirão (pronounced: [bɾazilejˈɾɐ̃w]), is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B. The season runs from May to December of the same year, with teams playing 38 matches each, totalling 380 matches in the season. Due to sponsorship reasons, the league is known as the Brasileirão Petrobras.

Due to historical peculiarities and the large geographical size of the country, Brazil has a relatively short history of nation-wide football competitions. The modern Campeonato Brasileiro only started in 1971, supported by the military regime of the time and made easier by the advancements in civil aviation and air transport. Before the establishment of a national league the most prestigious football competitions in Brazil were the state leagues, notably the Campeonato Paulista and Campeonato Carioca state championships (the tournaments of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro states). Most state competitions have a much longer history than the national competition and, consequently, the various state leagues were considered more prestigious than the national league during the first years.

Since 1959, seventeen clubs have been crowned Brazilian football champions. The current champions are Fluminense, who won the 2012 season.

History[]

Between 1959 and 1970, two national championships existed to define the Brazilian champions and to provide Brazilian representatives to Copa Libertadores. These were the Taça Brasil (1959–1968) and the Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa (1967–1970).

The current Campeonato Brasileiro was created in 1971 using the structure of Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa. The system used until 1987 was similar to FIFA World Cup or UEFA Champions League: the best clubs of each State Championship were separated in several small groups. Then the best of each group played the play-offs. But every year some aspects of format, number of entrants and rules changed.

In 1979, all big clubs from São Paulo, except Palmeiras, withdrew from competition. They protested against the odd system of tier qualification which made their rivals, Palmeiras and Guarani, enter only in the final phase (due to their being previous-year finalists) and also asking for the same privileges. Indeed oddly enough, Guarani finished in the top 12 playing only 3 games and Palmeiras finished third despite playing only 5 games in a tournament with 96 entrants.

In 1984, Juventus, a small club from São Paulo, managed to qualify for the Série A. Participants of that year could be promoted from and relegated to Série B in the middle of the tournament. Juventus thus started the tournament in the premiership, was relegated in the middle of the tournament but eventually managed to clinch the Série B title. Despite this the team was not promoted to Série A in the following year and failed to qualify to it from the state championship.

In 1987, the CBF announced it had no financial conditions to organize the Brazilian football championship, a mere few weeks before it was scheduled to begin. But the Confederation said that he would try to a sponsor or agreement with the clubs for they finance themselves with travel, without an agreement, would be a tournament regionalised. As a result, the thirteen most popular football clubs in Brazil created a league, dubbed the Club of the 13, to organize a championship of their own. This tournament was called Copa União and was run by the 16 clubs that eventually took part in it (Santa Cruz, Coritiba and Goiás were invited to join), completely without the permission of CBF and contradicting (a move not unlike the creation of club-administered leagues in Europe). Further to reconcile the interests of CBF with Club of the 13, Copa União would be called Green Module and Copa Brasil, call Module Yellow at the end there should be a cross between the champions and vices from both modules(groups) for both teams decide just who the two representatives of Brazil would dispute the Copa Libertadores in 1988. Flamengo and Internacional eliminated by W.O. not presented by the dates set, abdicated up to participate. Sport and Guarani did in the final two games that enshrined the Sport as Brazilian champion of 1987. Officially by CBF: Yellow Module, 16 clubs + Green Module, 16 clubs = Brazilian Championship 1987, 32 clubs.

In 1999, an averaging relegation system similar to the one used in the Primera División Argentina was adopted. The two clubs with the worst point results in the first stage of the two previous seasons were to be relegated. However, this system only lasted for a single season. During the first stage it was discovered that one player was registered with false documents. Due to this scandal CBF decided to punish the player's team cancelling the games in which this player took part. Due to this, the average points of some clubs were changed so one club lost positions and was relegated. This club immediately sued CBF, so this institution was prevented to host 2000 Brasileirão. In light of this, Clube dos 13 organized the championship of that year.

Before 2003, the format of Série A changed almost every year; for specifics, see Campeonato Brasileiro tournament scheduling. Since 2003, the Série A has been contested in a double round-robin format and the team with most points is declared champion. There is no final match, which is a very controversial subject. Prior to 2003, the Brazilian championship had traditionally been decided with some type of playoff format (most commonly the "Octagonal", where the top 8 regular season teams comprise a single elimination tournament), rather than the European model of points accumulation over a season. Although some purists complain that this system lacks the dramatic scenes of playoffs and finals, the competition has so far shown to be well balanced, without a small number of clubs dominating the league, a phenomenon often found in many European leagues.

Eleven matches of the 2005 competition were annulled due to a match-fixing scandal and had to be replayed.

For the 2006 season, the number of contestants was reduced to 20 and CBF claims it to be the "definitive" format. In 2006, a limit on the number of foreign players was set, such that no team can have more than three foreign players on the field or on the bench in a single match. The seasons with the largest number of entrants of the competition were: 2000 (116 entrants), 1979 (94 entrants) and 1986 (80 entrants).

In 2010, CBF decided to recognize the champions of the defuncts Taça Brasil and Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa as Brazilian Champions.

Competition format[]

Twenty clubs compete in the Série A. Since the 2003 season, the league began using a double round-robin format as the competition format. Each team plays the other clubs twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 38 games. Teams receive three points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero for a loss. Teams are ranked by points, with the team with the most points at the end of the season crowned the champion. If teams are tied in points, wins then goal difference determine the ranking. The four lowest teams in the rankings are relegated to the Série B.

International qualification[]

The top four teams in rankings qualify for the following season's Copa Libertadores. Teams ranked 1 to 3 enter in the Second Stage, with the team ranked 4 entering in the First Stage. The next eight teams in the rankings qualify to the following season's Copa Sudamericana, with all those teams entering in the Second Stage. Should any of the qualified teams win the Copa do Brasil in the same season, their berths are awarded to the next ranked teams.

Awards and trophies[]

Prêmio Craque do Brasileirão is the league's official award. Placar magazine's Bola de Ouro is the oldest award, while the Troféu Osmar Santos and the Troféu João Saldanha are awards given by the newspaper Lance!.

2013 clubs[]

Team	City	Stadium	Capacity^[2]
Atlético Mineiro	Belo Horizonte	Independência	23,018
Atlético Paranaense	Curitiba	Arena da Baixada	32,864
Bahia	Salvador	Pituaçu / Fonte Nova	32,157 / 56,500 *
Botafogo	Rio de Janeiro	Engenhão	45,000
Criciúma	Criciúma	Heriberto Hülse	28,749
Corinthians	São Paulo	Pacaembu / Arena Corinthians (2013)	37,730 / 68,000 *
Coritiba	Curitiba	Couto Pereira	34,872
Cruzeiro	Belo Horizonte	Independência / Mineirão	23,018 / 75,783 *
Flamengo	Rio de Janeiro	Engenhão / Maracanã (2013)	45,000 / 78,838 *
Fluminense	Rio de Janeiro	Engenhão / Maracanã (2013)	45,000 / 78,838 *
Goiás	Goiânia	Serra Dourada	41,574
Grêmio	Porto Alegre	Arena Grêmio	60,700
Internacional	Porto Alegre	Beira-Rio (2013)	56,000 / 60,800 *
Náutico	Recife	Aflitos / Arena Pernambuco (2013)	19,800 / 46,154 *
Ponte Preta	Campinas	Moisés Lucarelli	17,728
Portuguesa	São Paulo	Canindé	21,004
Santos	Santos	Vila Belmiro	16,798
São Paulo	São Paulo	Morumbi	67,428
Vasco da Gama	Rio de Janeiro	São Januário	24,585
Vitória	Salvador	Barradão	35,632

(*) After Inauguration.

List of Brazilian football champions[]

Further information: List of Brazilian football champions

Club	Titles	Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
Palmeiras	8	1960, 1967, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1993, 1994
Santos	8	1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 2002, 2004
São Paulo	6	1977, 1986, 1991, 2006, 2007, 2008
Flamengo	5	1980, 1982, 1983, 1992, 2009
Corinthians	5	1990, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2011
Fluminense	4	1970, 1984, 2010, 2012
Vasco	4	1974, 1989, 1997, 2000
Internacional	3	1975, 1976, 1979
Bahia	2	1959, 1988
Cruzeiro	2	1966, 2003
Botafogo	2	1968, 1995
Grêmio	2	1981, 1996
Atlético Mineiro	1	1971
Guarani	1	1978
Sport	1	1987
Coritiba	1	1985
Atlético Paranaense	1	2001

Players[]

**All-time most appearances in the Série A**
Rank	Player	Apps
1	Brazil Rogério Ceni	474
2	Brazil Zinho	369
3	Brazil Clemer	368
4	Brazil Ramon	367
5	Brazil Fábio	361
6	Brazil Paulo Baier	355
7	Brazil Harlei	347
8	Brazil Leonardo Moura	344
9	Brazil Cléber	337
10	Brazil Wladimir	330
(Italics denotes players still playing professional football) (bold denotes players still playing in the Brazilian Série A).^[3]

**All-time top scorers in the Série A**
Rank	Player	Goals
1	Brazil Roberto Dinamite	190
2	Brazil Romário	154
3	Brazil Edmundo	153
4	Brazil Zico	135
5	Brazil Túlio	129
6	Brazil Serginho Chulapa	127
7	Brazil Washington	125
8	Brazil Dadá Maravilha	113
9	Brazil Pelé	100
10	Brazil Ramon	98
(Italics denotes players still playing professional football) (bold denotes players still playing in te Brazilian Série A).^[3]

Best attendances[]

#	Attendance	Home	Score	Visitor	Stadium	Date
1	155.523	Flamengo	3–0	Santos	Estádio do Maracanã	May 29, 1983
2	154.335	Flamengo	3–2	Atlético-MG	Estádio do Maracanã	June 1, 1980
3	146.043	Fluminense	1–1	Corinthians	Estádio do Maracanã	December 5, 1976
4	138.107	Flamengo	1–1	Grêmio	Estádio do Maracanã	April 4, 1982
5	135.487	Botafogo	3–1	Flamengo	Estádio do Maracanã	April 19, 1981
6	128.781	Fluminense	0–0	Vasco	Estádio do Maracanã	May 27, 1984
7	122.001	Botafogo	2–2	Flamengo	Estádio do Maracanã	July 19, 1992
8	121.353	Flamengo	1–1	Vasco	Estádio do Maracanã	May 8, 1983
9	120.441	Flamengo	2–1	Guarani	Estádio do Maracanã	April 11, 1982
10	118.777	Vasco	2–2	Internacional-RS	Estádio do Maracanã	July 28, 1974
11	118.370	Fluminense	0–0	Corinthians	Estádio do Maracanã	May 20, 1984
12	118.162	Flamengo	1–0	Atlético-MG	Estádio do Maracanã	November 29, 1987
13	117.353	Botafogo	0–0	Flamengo	Estádio do Maracanã	April 16, 1981
14	115.002	Corinthians	4–1	Flamengo	Morumbi	May 6, 1984
15	114.481	Santos	2–1	Flamengo	Morumbi	May 12, 1983
16	113.479	Atlético-MG	0–0	Santos	Mineirão	May 15, 1983
17	113.286	Corinthians	2–1	Internacional-RS	Morumbi	November 21, 1976
18	112.993	Vasco	2–1	Cruzeiro	Estádio do Maracanã	August 1, 1974
19	112.403	Fluminense	1–1	Atlético-MG	Estádio do Maracanã	December 20, 1970
20	112.047	Flamengo	1–4	Palmeiras	Estádio do Maracanã	December 9, 1979
21	111.260	Flamengo	2–1	Vasco	Estádio do Maracanã	May 5, 1983
22	111.111	Santos	3–2	Flamengo	Morumbi	February 27, 1983
23	110.877	Vasco	3–0	Grêmio	Estádio do Maracanã	May 19, 1984
24	110.438	Bahia	2–1	Fluminense	Fonte Nova	February 12, 1989

Sources: UOL^[4]^[5] Placar magazine - Guia do Brasileirão 2010^[6] and GloboEsporte.com Website.^[7]

References[]

↑ (Portuguese) "CBF recebe dossiê dos 'campeões de 59 a 70' e clubes aguardam reconhecimento". SuperEsportes. http://www.superesportes.com.br/app/1,10/2010/11/10/noticia_cruzeiro,169746/cbf-recebe-dossie-dos-campeoes-de-59-a-70-e-clubes-aguardam-reconhecimento.shtml. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
↑ "CNEF Cadastro Nacional de Estádios de Futebol" (in Portuguese) (PDF). Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF). January 13, 2012. http://www.cbf.com.br/media/373338/cnef%20-%20versa%CC%83o%20final%2007_03_12.pdf. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 "Futpédia statistics". Placar. http://placar.abril.com.br/blogs/futebol-em-numeros/2012/09/12/goleiro-fabio-ja-e-o-5o-jogador-com-mais-partidas-em-brasileiros/. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
↑ "Teste de fogo para o "novo" Campeonato Brasileiro" (in Portuguese). UOL. 2003. http://esporte.uol.com.br/futebol/brasileiro/historia.jhtm. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
↑ "Recordes do Brasileirão" (in Portuguese). campeoesdofutebol.com.br. http://www.campeoesdofutebol.com.br/recordes_camp_brasileiro.html. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
↑ (May 2010) Guia Brasileirão 2010. Placar n. 1342. Editora Abril, pg. 121
↑ "Unificação de titles traz mudanças importantes nas estatísticas" (in Portuguese). globoesporte.com. December 16, 2010. http://globoesporte.globo.com/futebol/brasileirao-serie-a/noticia/2010/12/unificacao-de-titulos-traz-mudancas-importantes-nas-estatisticas.html. Retrieved August 6, 2012.

External links[]

CBF Confederação Brasileira de Futebol - Brazilian Football Confederation
Campeonato Brasileiro Vídeos dos gols do Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
RSSSF Brazil links
Best Attendances 1971/2008
zerozero.pt
Map of Serie A club locations
Brazilian Championship News (in English)
Futpedia The Brazilian Football Encyclopedia, with historical statistics about championships, clubs, games, athletes, and more (Portuguese).
Champions Squads

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[tournamentnames-1] (Portuguese) "CBF recebe dossiê dos 'campeões de 59 a 70' e clubes aguardam reconhecimento". SuperEsportes. http://www.superesportes.com.br/app/1,10/2010/11/10/noticia_cruzeiro,169746/cbf-recebe-dossie-dos-campeoes-de-59-a-70-e-clubes-aguardam-reconhecimento.shtml. Retrieved December 22, 2010.

[2] "CNEF Cadastro Nacional de Estádios de Futebol" (in Portuguese) (PDF). Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF). January 13, 2012. http://www.cbf.com.br/media/373338/cnef%20-%20versa%CC%83o%20final%2007_03_12.pdf. Retrieved May 21, 2010.

[blstats-3] 3.0 ^3.1 "Futpédia statistics". Placar. http://placar.abril.com.br/blogs/futebol-em-numeros/2012/09/12/goleiro-fabio-ja-e-o-5o-jogador-com-mais-partidas-em-brasileiros/. Retrieved June 20, 2010.

[4] "Teste de fogo para o "novo" Campeonato Brasileiro" (in Portuguese). UOL. 2003. http://esporte.uol.com.br/futebol/brasileiro/historia.jhtm. Retrieved August 1, 2012.

[5] "Recordes do Brasileirão" (in Portuguese). campeoesdofutebol.com.br. http://www.campeoesdofutebol.com.br/recordes_camp_brasileiro.html. Retrieved August 1, 2012.

[placar1342-6] (May 2010) Guia Brasileirão 2010. Placar n. 1342. Editora Abril, pg. 121

[ge-7] "Unificação de titles traz mudanças importantes nas estatísticas" (in Portuguese). globoesporte.com. December 16, 2010. http://globoesporte.globo.com/futebol/brasileirao-serie-a/noticia/2010/12/unificacao-de-titulos-traz-mudancas-importantes-nas-estatisticas.html. Retrieved August 6, 2012.

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