Flamengo races against time to get its reinforcements in Brazil

The Peñarol (URU) team was excited from the beginning of the trip to Rio de Janeiro, where they will face Flamengo, in the quarter-finals of the Libertadores. In addition to cheering the players on the flight towards the 'Marvelous City', the Uruguayans posted a montage of Christ the Redeemer with the club's flag.

As soon as they landed on Rio de Janeiro soil, the Uruguayan club published an image of a of the city's main tourist attractions. In addition to the photo, the team wrote the following message: “Peñarol em Rio”, alluding to Rock In Rio. Afterwards, a video showing the arrival of the athletes at Galeão Airport was also published.

Peñarol reached the quarterfinals of the Libertadores after beating The Strongest (BOL) in the round of 16. In the first game, the Uruguayan team defeated their opponent 4-0. On the way back, the Bolivian team even won by a score of 1-0, however, it was not enough to take away the classification of Diego Aguirre's men.

Before the game against Flamengo, Peñarol played in the Championship Uruguayan. On Saturday (14), Rubro-Negro's opponent beat Rampla (URU), by a score of 4 to 0. Given this situation, they remained undefeated in the national tournament.

Flamengo is coming off a bitter draw with Vasco on Sunday (15), however, they will have reinforcements for this Thursday's duel (19). Recovered from a thigh injury, De La Cruz is back in the team. In addition to the Uruguayan, Alex Sandro, Alcaraz and Gonzalo Plata were registered in the competition and, as a result, will be included in the clash.

Last Tuesday, the candidate for re-election for mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, denied the journalist Ancelmo Gois, from Globo. In a post on Instagram, the mayor informed that the city hall will be responsible for removing the megastructure on the gas meter site, different from what was reported. Furthermore, he guaranteed that Flamengo will have its new stadium, with the best conditions and security.

The news published by Ancelmo informs that Flamengo would have to pay R$100 million to remove a large gas structure present on land acquired by the club, which is owned by CEG and CEG-Rio, which are companies that are part of the gas concessionaire Naturgy.

According to the article, the companies were informed that Flamengo is the responsible for bearing the expenses, as provided for in one of the annexes to the land purchase and transfer contract. The clause, however, does not have a specified limit.

Paes stated that the values ​​for the transfer of the structure are different from what was pointed out in the article by Ancelmo Gois. Furthermore, it exempted Flamengo from any responsibility, and that the city hall has been planning to remove it for years.

“They are making me defend @flamengo more than I would like: let it be clear that this is not the The cost of this transfer and when it happens will be the responsibility of the city of Rio, which knows that this structure cannot be in an area that is already receiving so many residential buildings. It's been in our plans for a long time! Flamengo will have its new stadium there in the gasometer with all the quality and safety that the region demands and deserves. Period!”, published the mayor.

Flamengo returns to the pitch for the Copa Libertadores on September 19th, when they face Peñarol (URU) in the quarter-finals of the competition. One of the team's reinforcements in the last transfer window, Argentine midfielder Carlos Alcaraz, did not hide his anxiety to wear the club's shirt in the continental tournament.

With spells at Racing, where he also competed in the Libertadores , Alcaraz celebrated the opportunity to play for Flamengo in the competition. "I've already played in the Libertadores with Racing, but now I'll be able to play for Flamengo. I'm very happy and looking forward to playing in this decisive phase", said the player, who will be available to coach Tite for the clash against Peñarol.

Alcaraz arrives at the team with the mission of strengthening the midfield, which already has names like Gerson, De La Cruz, Erick Pulgar and Arrascaeta, expanding Tite's options for the decisive games of the tournament.

While preparing for the Libertadores, Alcaraz faces some difficulties in the national calendar . After being sent off in the 2-1 defeat against Corinthians, the Argentine is suspended from the classic against Vasco, valid for the Brazilian Championship. Furthermore, he cannot play in the Copa do Brasil match against Bahia, as he is not registered at this stage of the competition. However, if Flamengo advances to the semi-finals, the midfielder may be used.

Flamengo begins the dispute against Peñarol on September 19th, at 7pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã, in the first leg of the Libertadores quarter-finals. The red-and-black team needs a good result at home to have an advantage in the second leg, which will be played on September 26th, at the Campeón del Siglo stadium, in Uruguay, also at 7pm.