On October 3, Flamengo president Rodolfo Landim, President Lula, and Rio’s mayor Eduardo Paes participated in a video conference formalizing the agreement for acquiring the Gasômetro land to build a new stadium for the club.

A tailor-made auction

The City of Rio de Janeiro on July 9 announced the auction for the sale of the Gasômetro site. The minimum bid for the land was R$138.2 million, more than 40% less than the 2023 valuation. In the published documents, there was mention of a report that valued more than 86,000 m² of land earmarked for a stadium for Flamengo at R$240.5 million. The report did not include the value of the land expropriated by city hall in 2021.

On June 24, the land was expropriated from the Porto Maravilha Fund, managed by Caixa, with the severance fund (FGTS) as the sole shareholder. Since the announcement outlined a specific purpose of transforming the area into a sports facility with a minimum capacity for 70,000 people, Flamengo was the only bidder.

End of legal disputes

In an interview with De Primeira, sports compliance specialist Gustavo Nadalin questioned the expropriation process of the Gasômetro land for Flamengo's stadium, pointing to potential legal challenges. He argued that the process did not align with best practices of public administration. The announcement defined a sports facility as a building or set of buildings to host major sporting events, as well as additional activities like cultural events.

A few days ago, Flamengo’s legal vice president, Rodrigo Dunshee, announced that the club, Rio’s mayor, the Attorney General’s Office, and Caixa Econômica Federal had reached an agreement, settling the legal dispute over the Gasômetro land. The mediation was successful, the agreement will be signed, said Dunshee.

A crucial step toward a new home

On July 31, Flamengo paid $25.2 million for the Gasômetro land in the auction, plus $1.4 million in legal fees. Adding $4.3 million to Caixa, which will be paid in installments over five years, the total cost of the land will be $31 million. The stadium project must be presented to City Hall within 18 months, with a construction deadline of 36 months, with possible extensions.

This place will see new chapters of our history unfold. A Flamengo player made of concrete, steel, work, and dreams will be born here, said club president Rodolfo Landim. Currently, Flamengo plays its home games at the iconic Maracanã stadium.