Brazilian FA suspends national championship matches due to flooding

The decision to postpone the seventh and eighth rounds was taken after the CBF consulted the 20 clubs of the Brasileirao, 15 of which asked for the championship to be suspended until May 27.

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: Flamengo’s Allan in action with Bolivar’s Bruno Savio during a Copa Libertadores match. | Photo Credit: RICARDO MORAES/ REUTERS

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Wednesday it will suspend the next two rounds of the Brazilian Championship, due to be played over the next two weekends, as a result of the floods caused by record rainfall in Rio Grande do Sul.

The matches of the three teams from Rio Grande do Sul -Gremio, Internacional and Juventude - had already been suspended until May 27, after the rains caused enormous damage in the region, including flooding of stadiums, training centres and airports.

The decision to postpone the seventh and eighth rounds was taken after the CBF consulted the 20 clubs of the Brasileirao, 15 of which asked for the championship to be suspended until May 27.

On that date, the technical council of the Brazilian top flight will meet to discuss the possibility of suspending the competition permanently.

South American football’s governing body, CONMEBOL, postponed the Libertadores and Sudamericana matches earlier this month due to the disaster.