In the document, Flamengo presents the proposal for the Brazilian Football Lawn Quality Assessment and Monitoring Program, which brings together suggestions aimed at raising the quality of fields, improving sports practice and bringing national football closer to the top shelf of world sport.
Some points presented by Flamengo:
– Flamengo understands that artificial pitches do not offer adequate conditions for high-performance football. In the main European leagues, this type of surface is prohibited, and it is also not used in the main South American leagues (Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia). There is no country that has ever won a World Cup that accepts plastic pitches, only Brazil. In a survey carried out by the Club, no first division game in these leagues was identified, in the 2025 season, played on artificial turf.
– The concern with artificial pitches is not exclusive to Flamengo. Players, the main protagonists of the sport, have been publicly demonstrating against the use of this type of surface in high-level competitions and, in some cases, even refusing to play on these fields. This scenario raises an alert to the risk that top athletes, Brazilian or foreign, will stop considering playing in Brazilian football precisely because of the conditions on the playing surface.
– Additionally, there are several studies listed in the material delivered by Flamengo that clearly demonstrate that this type of surface is harmful to health, increasing the number of injuries and causing other problems due to contact with plastic.
– Considering that the main justifications for the use of synthetic lawns are to reduce costs and hold shows and events, and seeking to avoid immediate losses to clubs that currently use this type of surface, Flamengo proposes the adoption of a transition period. The suggestion is that artificial pitches be replaced in Series A by the end of 2027 and, in Series B, by the end of 2028, ensuring adequate adaptation time without compromising sporting quality.
– Even during the transition period, the quality of plastic lawns needs to be improved. Flamengo suggests the adoption of a minimum quality standard for synthetic surfaces, covering criteria such as fiber type and material, grass height, stitch density, cushioning layer, type of filling and coloring.
– Likewise, Flamengo understands that there is no point in just banning plastic lawns, but also determining a minimum quality standard for natural lawns, following strict standards used by FIFA and UEFA, adapted to the specificities of Brazilian football.
– Flamengo presented to the working group a robust document that proposes minimum technical standards for verifying the quality of pitches, whatever their type, including tests on ball rolling, impact absorption, surface rigidity, among others. Currently, there is no evaluation protocol for stadiums with natural or plastic pitches to host matches organized by the CBF with the guarantee that, regardless of the stadium, Brazilian football is played equally, within the most rigorous international standards, which reinforces the need for regulation.
– In addition, Flamengo proposes the adoption of minimum infrastructure standards valid for both natural and synthetic lawns — including irrigation and drainage systems, adequate maintenance equipment, specification of the structural base, type of grass or fiber, pest and disease control and leveling. The objective is to ensure that, from 2026, any playing field offers uniform behavior in ball-surface and player-surface interaction.
These suggestions complement Flamengo’s formal response to the CBF’s request for contributions to adjust the General Competition Regulations (RGC) and the Specific Competitions Regulations (REC) of the Brasileirão 2026. Now, Flamengo awaits the formalization of the working group that will delve deeper into the topic, allowing discussions and deliberations to take place in good time for the start of next season’s competitions.”
