Chevrolet will be the title sponsor of 20 Brazilian football state championships in '13, according to Lucas Turco of MAQUINA DO ESPORTE. The auto manufacturer "will look to add more state championships in its sponsorship portfolio" for '14. Chevrolet Brazil Marketing & Communications Dir Frederico Themoteo Jr. said, "This year, we will stay with 20 championships because the tournaments are already starting in Brazil, but, in 2014, besides the current sponsorships, we will look to expand our brand and sign with other state championships." Although Chevrolet now has 20 of the 27 Brazilian state championships, the company does not have the rights to the Rio de Janeiro and Pernambucano championships. Chevrolet said that it was due to "the obstacles encountered when negotiating with those federations." Themoteo Jr. said, "If we could we would like to be in all the state championships, but we all know that negotiations of this level do not always end the way you hoped. In the case of the Pernambucano championship, Coca-Cola already has the title sponsorship of the tournament, and we have to respect the contract. In Rio de Janeiro, we were not able to reach an agreement in terms of values" (MAQUINA DO ESPORTE, 1/9).
