The Copa União (Portuguese for Union Cup) was a one-off competition in Brazilian football, held in 1987 in the absence of the conventional Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (Brazilian Soccer Championship Level A).
In 1987, the CBF announced it had no financial conditions to organize the Brazilian football championship, a mere few weeks before it was scheduled to begin. As a result, the thirteen most popular football clubs in Brazil created a league, ...
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The Copa União (Portuguese for Union Cup) was a one-off competition in Brazilian football, held in 1987 in the absence of the conventional Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (Brazilian Soccer Championship Level A).
In 1987, the CBF announced it had no financial conditions to organize the Brazilian football championship, a mere few weeks before it was scheduled to begin. As a result, the thirteen most popular football clubs in Brazil created a league, dubbed the Club of the 13, to organize a championship of their own. This tournament was called Copa União and was run by the 16 clubs that eventually took part in it (Santa Cruz, Coritiba and Goiás were invited to join), completely free from CBF authority (a move not unlike the creation of club-administered leagues in Europe).
The Copa União was a single round robin from which four teams would qualify for the semifinals. The Club of the 13 signed sponsoring contracts with Coca-Cola and Rede Globo, which guaranteed the clubs would be paid...
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