Under orders from the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF), the word Allianz, from the insurance company that sponsors of Brasileiro side Palmeira's Allianz Parque stadium, "was covered for the first Campeonato Brasileiro match," according to Rafael Reis of FOLHA DE SÃO PAULO. The CBF explained that the club "could not advertise a brand" during the tournament that was not "linked to the competition." Palmeiras' reportedly "does not have permission to show any type of advertisement in the second portion of the bleachers." The club's supporters, however, "began removing signs that covered the sponsor's name soon after the subject gained social media coverage." Minutes before the match, Allianz "was covered up again so that networks could transmit the match" live on TV (FOLHA DE SÃO PAULO, 5/9). In São Paulo, Daniel Batista reported after many protests, banners hanging to cover up Allianz in Palmeiras' stadium "were removed." Many of the club's supporters "asked that the board of directors stand up against" the CBF's "controversial" decision. Thirty minutes before Saturday's match, "the banners were taken down by the stadium's employees" before being covered once again (ESTADÃO, 5/9).
