Flamengo supporter groups formalize opposition to Brazil’s betting ban after Fla-Flu protest

Eight of Flamengo’s main organized supporter groups have published a joint statement against MP No. 1.394/2026, the measure that banned fixed-odds betting operations, offers, intermediaries and advertising across Brazil. For PSPs and acquiring partners in this space, the key point is simple: the political fight is now tied directly to football’s commercial model.

1. The statement was signed by Torcida Jovem do Flamengo, Raça Rubro-Negra, Flamanguaça, Império, Falange Rubro-Negra, Urubuzada, Nação 12 and FlaRuts. Together, they represent the core of Flamengo’s organized supporter groups and said they were addressing “the competent authorities.”
2. The groups said their position is not “political-party activism” and that they do not intend to influence the election result. They described the move as a “legitimate and spontaneous” response to what they see as the rushed ban on bets in Brazil.
3. The target is MP No. 1.394/2026, issued by the Lula government on 25 September, which prohibited the exploitation, offering, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting throughout Brazil and amended Law No. 14.790/2023. In the supporter groups’ words, the measure was introduced in an “irrational and abrupt” way.
4. The economic argument is the one that matters to payment providers. The statement says 15 of the 20 clubs in Brazil’s Série A have legal ties with regulated betting companies. Citing UOL, it adds that bets account for about R$ 1 in every R$ 3 of commercial revenue in the country’s top football tier.
5. The groups also tried to head off the usual “football existed before betting” line, saying that yes, Flamengo won the world title without betting brands. Their answer was the standard infrastructure argument: humans lived without electricity too, and that does not mean the modern game, as financed today, can be discussed with slogans alone.

For high-risk operators and PSPs, the practical takeaway is that Brazil’s betting rules are now colliding with one of the country’s most visible football ecosystems. When supporter groups start framing a ban as a threat to club financing, the payment side stops being a back-office issue and becomes part of the public argument.