The Rio de Janeiro Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating a potential embezzlement of approximately 1 million reais per month in the administration of the Maracana stadium.
The inquiry involves the sale of tickets for home matches played by Flamengo and Fluminense. Suspicions include the sale of tickets beyond the stadium's capacity and irregularities in the official match financial reports.
The information was first published by the O Globo newspaper, which obtained access to details of the investigation by the state prosecutors.
The Maracana is one of the most famous sporting venues in the world. Built for the 1950 World Cup, it has historically hosted some of the largest football crowds on record. Today, its operations are managed jointly by Flamengo and Fluminense.
The two clubs, which are among Brazil's most widely supported and historically significant football teams, share a fierce rivalry and are partners in the company Fla-Flu Servicos S.A., the entity responsible for the stadium's administration.
In August, the Public Prosecutor's Office opened a civil inquiry to investigate overcrowding at the Maracana and requested clarifications from the clubs and other parties involved in match operations.
According to the published report, there are concerns that the spreadsheets used to plan match security present underestimated fan numbers. The report said this practice would result in an insufficient police presence at the stadium, potentially compromising public safety during large events.
Match overcrowding concerns
The investigation indicates that in 16 games played since December 2025, tickets were offered for sale or sold in excess of the capacities of specific sectors within the stadium.
This situation resulted in stadium overcrowding during 11 Flamengo matches, four Fluminense matches, and the highly anticipated derby that decided the 2026 Campeonato Carioca, the annual state football championship of Rio de Janeiro.
The Specialised Group for Sports Action and Fan Defense of the Public Prosecutor's Office officially opened the civil inquiry on August 26 to investigate the possible overcrowding in some sectors of the Maracana during these matches.
The document initiating the civil inquiry highlights that matches with indications of ticket issuance exceeding capacity were identified between December 2025 and August of this year.
Demands for ticket transparency
The specialised group sent official letters to the clubs, the Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation, and the various agencies responsible for security and ticket sales at the venue.
In these documents, the authorities requested detailed clarifications regarding the total number of tickets issued for the analysed matches. This request covers standard ticket sales, complimentary tickets, and free entries, with the figures required to be broken down by stadium sector.
The agencies have also been ordered to inform the authorities of the exact number of tickets that were actually used, which corresponds to the total number of people present in the stadium. This data must also be broken down by sector.
The Public Prosecutor's Office is questioning whether there is any technical justification for the discrepancies found. The authorities are seeking to understand why the number of tickets made available for each sector can differ from the entry of a number of people that exceeds the safe public capacity of those respective areas during the matches under analysis.
