The notice of solicitation for the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro has put Brasileiro clubs Flamengo and Fluminense "in a comfortable position" when it comes to negotiating a contract with the stadium's future operator, according to Sabino & Burlá of LANCE NET. The notice states that the Maracanã's operator must have a deal with two of Rio's big four teams for the contract with the state government to be valid. This gives Flamengo and Fluminense negotiating power as "neither club currently has a home ground." Both played a significant number of their games in the Maracanã before it began undergoing construction. Another advantage for the clubs is that the if the winning bidder for the rights to operate the stadium does not reach a deal with two clubs within 90 days of the bidding process having closed, "the government can start a new bidding process or give the operating rights to the company which finished second in the initial bidding process" (LANCE NET, 2/27).
MORE DETAILS: UOL's Vinicius Konchinski reported that the Maracanã's privatization "should reduce the number of games played in the stadium annually by 45%." The Rio state government wants to preserve the arena as "a temple of world football" and ordered that the future operators "significantly reduce" the number of games played in the arena. The government fixed 40 as the "ideal" number of games the stadium would host per season. In '09, the last year the Maracanã was in use before undergoing its renovations, it hosted 72 games. The company that wins the bidding process for the arena, to be revealed on April 11, will have to pay R$4.5M ($2.3M) annually to the state of Rio. Furthermore, it will have to invest R$594M ($300M) in reforms around the stadium (UOL, 2/27). UOL's Vinícius Segalla reported the Rio government's deal with the operator will be for 35 years (UOL, 2/26).
