RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This Wednesday’s duel with Grêmio, which will determine a spot in the final of the Copa Libertadores in dispute, has already assured Flamengo a significant turnover even before the match kick-off. With tickets sold out about a month ago, the expected income from tickets for the 9:30 PM match is approximately R$7 million (US$1.8 million).
The figure will be a record for Flamengo and also for Brazilian soccer in 2019, a season in which, due to its footballing success, the team has been filling stadiums, so much so that it has an average of just over 50,000 fans per game.
The significant revenue is due to the strong presence of fans, but also to the amount charged for tickets, with the cheapest admission for members, in the northern sector of Maracanã, costing R$70. More than 60,000 fans are expected to be present at the stadium, including 4,000 Gremio supporters.
So far, Flamengo’s highest ticket revenue in 2019 has been in a Libertadores quarter-final duel against Internacional, defeated by 2-0. That victory had 60,797 paying fans, with a gross revenue of R$4,758,999.00 and an average ticket price of R$78, a figure that will be exceeded today.
Although the receipts should reach the R$7 million mark, the entire amount will not be retained by Flamengo. The club, which is part of the stadium’s administration, will incur high costs with the operation of the match. Thus, it should keep around 50 percent of this amount, or slightly more.
The total number of tickets for the match is 68,015, including free and complimentary tickets. The game will also involve a security arrangement equivalent to almost twice the amount commonly used in high-risk matches. There will be approximately 1,100 security officers – 800 state police officers and 300 municipal guards.
In addition, there will be nine blocked streets around Maracanã, starting at 6 PM, so that only those with tickets can access the stadium, which will open its gates at 6:30 PM.
A goalless draw opens the way for Rio de Janeiro’s Flamengo, while any other draw will see Rio Grande do Sul’s Grêmio through to the Final. Whoever qualifies will face the Argentinian side River Plate at the finals, after that team saw off its long-time rival Boca Juniors in the semi-final match played yesterday.
Source: Estadão Conteúdo