BRAZIL · FOOTBALL
Key Facts
- —The country Brazil’s Flamengo and Palmeiras play in South America’s Champions League.
- —Why it matters A ruling for Flamengo could put it in the 28 November final instead of Estudiantes.
- —Why now Flamengo filed on Friday 23 October 2026, a day after losing on penalties.
- —What happened Flamengo says Estudiantes fielded Marcos Rojo without CONMEBOL approval and wants a 3-0 win.
- —What it means for you US fans and traders follow a final that a ruling could still change.
- —Still open Whether CONMEBOL rules before the 28 November final.
- —Prediction markets Polymarket gives Palmeiras 64.5% and Estudiantes 33.3% to win the title (24 October, 5:05 a.m. ET).
- —Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
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The Flamengo protest filed on Friday 23 October 2026 asks South America’s football body, CONMEBOL, to award Flamengo a 3-0 win over Estudiantes and send it to the Copa Libertadores final. For US fans, the Libertadores is the continent’s equivalent of the Champions League, and the dispute decides whether Palmeiras meets Estudiantes of Argentina or Flamengo of Brazil on 28 November.
Flamengo lost the semi-final 3-2 on penalties at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday 22 October, after two 0-0 draws. Its protest says the Argentine club should not have used defender Marcos Rojo, who played with the permission of a Swiss sports court rather than CONMEBOL.
We covered the match in Estudiantes Beat Flamengo on Penalties and the court order in Sports Court Clears Estudiantes Defender. Palmeiras of São Paulo reached the final earlier in the week, as we reported in Palmeiras Reach Libertadores Final.
In plain English
- —CONMEBOL South America’s football governing body, which runs the Copa Libertadores.
- —CAS The Court of Arbitration for Sport, an independent tribunal in Switzerland that settles sports disputes.
- —Interim order An urgent, temporary ruling that stays in force while the main case continues.
- —Protest A formal complaint to the tournament organiser, here asking it to change a match result.
- —Good-faith list The official squad list that a club registers for the Libertadores.
What the Flamengo Protest Asks For
Flamengo filed the protest on Friday evening, according to O Globo and the sports site ge. It argues that Rojo should not have played without CONMEBOL’s approval and asks for the penalty written into the tournament’s disciplinary code.
Article 19 of that code says a team responsible for an improper line-up is considered the loser of the match by 3-0, ge reported, quoting the Spanish text. Because the first leg ended 0-0, a 3-0 loss for Estudiantes in the second leg would put Flamengo through 3-0 on aggregate.
Estadão wrote that the code also allows a fine of US$5,000 and sanctions on the player. It added that such a complaint opens a disciplinary process at CONMEBOL, which does not comment on cases before they end.
Rojo, 36, is a former Manchester United and Argentina defender who joined Estudiantes from Racing Club in early October, according to Estadão and ge. The sports site ge reported that Estudiantes paid about US$500,000 for the signing.
How Rojo Came to Play at the Maracanã
CONMEBOL rejected Rojo’s registration before the first leg in La Plata on Thursday 15 October, so he missed that 0-0 draw. Reports differ on the reason, because La Nación and Olé say CONMEBOL cited FIFA transfer rules, while ge and Estadão say he was registered in place of an injured player whose recovery time did not meet CONMEBOL’s rules.
Estudiantes took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which granted an interim order announced on Wednesday 21 October. The order let Rojo be listed for the second leg while the wider dispute continues.
ge reported that the order also made the Argentine club responsible for using the player in any later proceeding. Flamengo’s board holds that without CONMEBOL’s approval the decision broke the tournament rules.
Rojo started at the Maracanã on Thursday 22 October and was replaced in the second half. Estudiantes then won the shootout 3-2, with goalkeeper Fernando Muslera saving three Flamengo kicks.
Estudiantes Says the Rules Back It
The circle around Estudiantes president Juan Sebastián Verón reacted with calm, La Nación and Olé reported, because it believes the court order gives the signing legal backing. It says Rojo had been on the good-faith list since 11:00 a.m. Rio time on match day (10:00 a.m. ET).
Olé quoted a sports-law lawyer who saw no legal basis for Flamengo’s complaint, since the court that issued the order stands above CONMEBOL. Olé suggested Flamengo may be waiting for the court’s final decision on the main case and would claim the points if that goes against Estudiantes.
Estudiantes is also taking advice from Swiss lawyers, according to Bolavip. Its reporter Germán García Grova was first to report the protest, and Estadão later confirmed it.
The 2018 Santos Precedent
Flamengo points to 2018, when CONMEBOL turned Santos’s 0-0 first-leg draw with Independiente into a 3-0 defeat because midfielder Carlos Sánchez had not served a one-match ban, ge reported. Santos drew 0-0 again at home and was knocked out of the last 16.
The same ge report lists 2018 cases that brought no penalty, such as River Plate’s Zuculini and Boca Juniors’ Ramón Ábila. In River’s case CONMEBOL admitted it had told the club the player was free to play.
The 2026 case differs in one way, because a sports court, not a CONMEBOL error, cleared the player. Whether that difference matters is for CONMEBOL to decide.
What Prediction Markets Say
Polymarket gives Palmeiras 64.5% and Estudiantes 33.3% to win the 2026 Copa Libertadores (24 October, 5:05 a.m. ET). The whole market has traded about US$38,100, while the Palmeiras contract has traded about US$2,900 and the Estudiantes contract about US$1,200.
Flamengo’s contract on that market has closed at 0%, which means traders are not treating it as a title contender. These prices are bets, not a forecast of how CONMEBOL will rule.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What Happens Next
Estadão wrote that the opponent must reply within 24 hours for CONMEBOL to examine the Flamengo protest, while La Nación and Olé said Estudiantes has until next week. The reports reviewed do not show which timetable applies, because CONMEBOL has not published one.
Bolavip’s García Grova wrote that CONMEBOL is unlikely to decide while the court’s interim order is in force, and that a ruling could come after the final. He added that Palmeiras might back the Flamengo protest to keep Rojo out of the final, which he described as a possibility only.
The final is a single match on Saturday 28 November at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay, and the kick-off time has not been confirmed. Palmeiras of São Paulo will face whichever club the confederation confirms.
What It Means for You
For US readers, the Flamengo protest matters because it could change the final that prediction-market traders already price. A decision for Flamengo would turn Palmeiras against Estudiantes into an all-Brazilian final, though nothing in the reports reviewed says that is likely.
Travellers following Brazilian football in Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo face no change, because the protest affects only this tournament. Our Rio de Janeiro expat city guide and São Paulo expat city guide cover daily life in both cities.
Our Brazil Explained 2026 guide sets out the country context, and the Copa Libertadores semi-finals guide explains how the tournament works. The final will be a one-off match, so any change would come from an office decision, not from a replay.
What Is Not Known
The text of the protest was not available in the reports reviewed, so its grounds are described as the press reported them. Neither CONMEBOL nor Flamengo had published a statement we could open.
It is not known when CONMEBOL will rule, or whether the court’s interim order shields Estudiantes from a penalty. Reports also differ on why CONMEBOL first refused Rojo’s registration and on the deadline for Estudiantes to reply.
No ruling has been announced, and a 3-0 award is a request, not a decision. Flamengo has not been declared a finalist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Flamengo protest ask CONMEBOL to do?
It asked CONMEBOL to count the second leg as a 3-0 loss for Estudiantes because Marcos Rojo played without the confederation’s approval. That would put Flamengo into the final.
Why was Marcos Rojo allowed to play?
The Court of Arbitration for Sport granted Estudiantes an interim order on 21 October after CONMEBOL rejected his registration. The order stays in force while the wider dispute continues.
Has CONMEBOL made a decision?
No ruling has been announced in the reports reviewed. One Argentine journalist says a decision could come after the 28 November final.
Is there a precedent for a 3-0 award?
In 2018 CONMEBOL turned Santos’s 0-0 draw with Independiente into a 3-0 defeat for an improperly fielded player, according to ge. Other 2018 cases brought no penalty.
When is the Libertadores final?
Palmeiras and Estudiantes are due to meet on Saturday 28 November 2026 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. The kick-off time has not been confirmed.
Sources: ge, 23 October 2026; ge, 24 October 2026; Estadão, 24 October 2026; O Globo, 23 October 2026; La Nación, 23 October 2026; Olé, 23 October 2026; Bolavip Argentina, 23 October 2026; Polymarket 2026 Copa Libertadores winner market, read 24 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief