
Soccer
26 Mar 2024 | 12:07 |
Flamengo forward Gabriel Barbosa was suspended for two years (one year to be served in practice) for doping test fraud. There is a discussion about the infraction and the size of the penalty, as the tight trial showed. This is explained why the red-black player's case is seen as unique.
In April 2023, there was a visit from the anti-doping team to Flamengo's CT. The inspectors' report is that Gabigol did not respond to the call during the exam, then urinated without showing his penis, as per procedure, and, finally, handed over the open container.
The attacker was reported in the Brazilian court antidoping for attempted anti-doping fraud. According to article 122 of the anti-doping code, the penalty is 4 years, which can be reduced to two years due to mitigating factors. It took two years, to be completed from April 2023 to April 2025.
"If there is (a case like Gabigol), it will be something from the CAS. In the anti-doping court, I confess that I have never seen these peculiarities. Generally, in many of these cases, there is some confidentiality. Data protection. Disclosure ends up being precarious", said lawyer Maurício Corrêa da Veiga, president of the Sports Law commission at the IAB (Institute of Lawyers from Brazil).
"I confess that I don't know of any case that has a similar situation to Gabriel. It's a huge shame for someone who didn't have anything found in their urine. I didn't see a sign of fraud. With except for not having shown his genitals. I don't see the evidence of fraud. I see more of an athlete's error than fraud. I am not aware of a similar case. It seems to me an excessive penalty", said lawyer Gustavo Caputo, auditor of the Brazilian Confederation Skateboarder and teacher at CBF Academy.
What both lawyers say is that cases in which there is a clear attempt at fraud are common. The athlete tries to use other people's urine and even an artificial penis. Or there are cases of athletes who refuse to take the test and then test positive.
"It never happened. With these characteristics. Therefore, it is difficult for judges to have jurisprudence on the case. It was a tight score", recalled Veiga.
In this sense, Caputo understands that Gabriel's defense - carried out by the Bichara e Motta office - asked that his trial already take place in the full anti-doping court to speed up the direct appeal to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport). The issue is that definitive judgments at the CAS usually take around six months.
"I believe that they (the defense) are betting on the suspected effect. In a maximum of one month they can have this judgment of the effect", he analyzed Caputo.
Mengão takes victory to the return game against the Argentines that takes place on the 25th, at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at the Jorge Luis Hirschi stadium
18 Set 2025 | 23:24 |
Flamengo defeated Argentina's Estudiantes 2-1 at the Maracanã Stadium . The red-and-black team decided the match in the first half with goals from Pedro and Varela. Mengão gave Estudiantes no time to breathe in Rio de Janeiro with a lightning goal.
Just 15 seconds in, Pedro capitalized on a pass from Plata, turned on his marker, and fired a left-footed shot to open the scoring. The quick goal undermined Argentina's strategy and galvanized the Rio de Janeiro team, who continued to press. A few minutes later, Ayrton Lucas crossed from the left and Varela hit a beautiful volley into Muslera's corner, extending the red-and-blacks' lead in the first half.
Even with a two-goal lead, Flamengo maintained control and nearly made it three with Pedro, whose shot was spectacularly saved by the Uruguayan goalkeeper. Estudiantes , for their part, barely threatened Rossi's goal and only managed to partially level the score in the final minutes of the first half . The feeling at Maracanã was that the 2-0 scoreline was a cheap one for the visitors.
In the second half, the pace dropped. Coach Eduardo Domínguez made substitutions, trying to give the Argentine team more momentum, but he ran into the red-and-black defense. The match was not without its tense moments, with cards for Saúl, Samuel Lino, and Alexis Castro, and Plata's sending-off after a second yellow card in a dispute with Facundo Rodríguez . At the end of the second half, Estudiantes scored in the 46th minute to leave the match open in Argentina.
With the 2-1 victory, Flamengo takes the lead in the quarterfinals of the Libertadores. The return leg is scheduled for the 25th, at 9:30 pm, at the Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium, in Argentina. Before that, the team led by Tite faces Vasco next Sunday (21), for the Brazilian Championship, again at Maracanã.
Striker scores after 14 seconds against Estudiantes, surpassing the records of former players and consolidating himself as one of the club's top scorers
18 Set 2025 | 22:53 |
Forward Pedro needed just 14 seconds to open the scoring for Flamengo against Estudiantes in a Copa Libertadores quarterfinal match. The lightning strike became the Rubro-Negro's fastest goal in the competition's history , surpassing Gerson's record and also surpassing Lucas Paquetá's historic mark, which held the club's fastest goal in an official match.
Until then, Flamengo 's fastest goal in the Libertadores was Gerson's, who had scored after 56 seconds against Bolívar, in 2024. Even so, in the current edition of the tournament, Pedro's goal was the second fastest overall , behind only Artur's goal, from Botafogo, which shook the net against LDU after 13 seconds in the round of 16.
293 games
148 goals
35 assists
According to an investigation by Gazeta do Urubu, the club's board intends to renew the contracts of Filipe Luís and Arrascaeta in 2025. Pedro and goalkeeper Rossi are expected to have their contracts extended next season. Internally, there's no sign of the striker's dissatisfaction with the club.
After beating Estudiantes at Maracanã this Thursday (18), Mengão faces Vasco next Sunday (21), for the Brazilian Championship. The match takes place again at the Rio de Janeiro team's stadium.
The striker opens the scoring against Estudiantes at a packed Maracanã stadium, reaching his 150th goal in the red and black jersey and consolidating an important milestone in the Libertadores Cup
18 Set 2025 | 22:37 |
Flamengo won an important chapter this Wednesday (18), in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores . After just 15 seconds, Pedro scored against Estudiantes at a packed Maracanã, opening the scoring for the Rio de Janeiro team. The goal not only guaranteed an initial advantage in the duel but also marked the striker's 150th goal with the red-black shirt , equaling Bebeto in eighth place among the greatest scorers in the club's history.
The goal against Argentina also represented Pedro's 26th for Flamengo in the Copa Libertadores, a figure that puts him behind only Gabigol, with 30 goals, in the club's all-time rankings in the tournament . Furthermore, the number 9 became the third-highest Brazilian scorer in the continental competition.
According to information obtained by Gazeta do Urubu, the club's management intends to renew the contracts of Filipe Luís and Arrascaeta in 2025. Pedro and goalkeeper Rossi are expected to have their contracts extended next season . Internally, there is no dissatisfaction surrounding the number 9.