Sports betting companies sponsoring clubs in the top two divisions of the Brazilian Championship have formally notified the teams that sponsorship deals could be terminated immediately if the federal government approves a provisional decree, known as an MP, outlawing betting in Brazil. The report was published by Folha de S.Paulo on Thursday (Sept. 24). Four firms have already moved: Betano (Flamengo), Superbet (São Paulo and Fluminense), Novibet (Santos) and Esportes da Sorte (Corinthians). The companies also notified broadcasters they have contracts with, including Globo, Band and RedeTV.The main firms are waiting for the decree to be published before deciding their next steps. Under the scenario pushed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a total ban on bets, the split is seen as inevitable. Even a softer version, suspending only online casino games such as the slot-style Fortune Tiger, known in Brazil as Tigrinho, would force renegotiations: estimates from people involved in the companies' operations, cited by Folha, put online games at up to 80% of the sector's revenue, which would shrink the money flowing to clubs.Clubs hunt for replacementsWhile Brasília decides, some clubs have already sounded out the market for new partners. Flamengo, holder of the biggest club-betting deal in Brazilian football, was among the first to study alternatives: it collects R$ 268.5 million a year from Betano in a contract running three years and four months. According to UOL, cited by the newspaper O Globo, Flamengo had yet to receive an official notification from Betano, which has already contacted the board to discuss the decree's consequences and is pressing the club to take a firmer stance. Corinthians was notified by Esportes da Sorte and treats the warning as routine paperwork. Fluminense confirmed receiving its notice; its master sponsorship with Superbet runs until the end of 2029, worth R$ 53 million in fixed fees plus R$ 33 million in bonuses.The money at stake runs into the billions of reais. A survey by the consultancy Convocados, cited by Folha, found that betting sponsorships for Série A clubs totaled about R$ 1.03 billion in 2025, up roughly 66% from R$ 618 million in 2024. That equals 7.2% of the R$ 14.3 billion in total revenue of first-division clubs last year.One contract detail speeds up any exit. Because betting is a government-regulated market open to rule changes, most deals include a "force majeure" clause protecting the bookmakers, according to O Globo's reporting. In practice, if the decree lands, the firms can walk away without paying a penalty and leave clubs with an empty shirt overnight. Lula has publicly defended a total ban this week, criticized the clubs' posture and already said they will have to learn to live without betting money.

The death toll rose to six on Sunday morning (Sept. 20) after a bus carrying Catholic pilgrims fell down a roughly 15-meter embankment in Cruzeiro, a city in São Paulo state on the border with Minas Gerais. A child of about 10 is among the victims, according to preliminary information from the state emergency service Samu. The bus was on its way to Aparecida, Brazil's biggest pilgrimage site.Five people died at the scene. A sixth victim died later at the Santa Casa hospital in Cruzeiro, said Lt. Vinícius de Souza Rocha of the São Paulo Military Highway Police. News site g1 reports that Samu lists the dead as a 47-year-old man from Lavras, in Minas Gerais; a 74-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman, both from Itumirim; plus a man of about 50 and a woman still unidentified.The bus left the road on the Doutor Avelino Júnior highway. The fire department counted 48 people on board, and around 40 passengers were injured, according to Folha de S.Paulo. The wounded were taken to charity hospitals known as Santas Casas in Cruzeiro, Guaratinguetá and Lorena.How it happenedThe driver lost control for reasons still to be clarified, and the bus plunged down the embankment around 5:30 a.m., according to the fire department. Crews from the fire service and Samu, including units from Cruzeiro, Cachoeira Paulista, Lorena and Guaratinguetá, worked the rescue.The trip began on Saturday night. According to g1, the bus left Lavras, in Minas Gerais, around 10 p.m. with residents of the city and neighboring towns. The fire department, however, told Folha that the vehicle had come from Ipatinga, also in Minas Gerais. The excursion belonged to Botelhos Viagens, a company from Lavras, and a relative told g1 that the driver owns the firm. He was injured, and his breathalyzer test came back negative.Investigation continuesThe highway police are checking the circumstances of the crash and the paperwork of the driver and the vehicle, including the documents required to carry passengers. "One step in responding to the incident is verifying the documentation of both the driver and the vehicle," Lt. Vinícius said.São Paulo's state government expressed regret over the deaths and said teams from the Military Police, the fire department and the highway agency DER are working at the site. Northbound traffic is running under stop-and-go control, with no congestion reported.

The strike at Correios, Brazil's state postal service, completed a week on Thursday (Sept 17) with no end date, and deliveries have stalled. Reports collected by Folha de S.Paulo show packages arriving past their deadline, frozen tracking pages and shipping refund requests. Consumers and small sellers have no delivery forecast, and delay complaints keep landing on the review site Reclame Aqui.Workers approved the stoppage in union assemblies on the night of Thursday (Sept 10), and it took effect on Friday (Sept 11), with unions across the country joining, the workers' federation Findect said. Negotiations ended without a deal after repeated rounds of talks and mediation attempts at the Superior Labor Court (TST), according to news site g1.The core dispute is the employee health plan. The federation says the company wants to change the benefit. Correios responded that its proposal covered 78 of the 80 clauses of the collective agreement, with a raise matching 100% of the INPC inflation index from Aug 1 and the maintenance of health assistance."The assemblies' decision came after successive rounds of negotiation and mediation attempts at the TST. The workers sought a negotiated solution, but the company held its position on an issue the workers consider fundamental," Findect said in a statement.Sellers with no way around itSellers of collectibles feel the hit on the cash register. Mariana Greco Mantovani, 20, who runs the Instagram shop Sweet Wishes Store and imports Monster High dolls, Funko figures and Pokemon cards, has had two boxes stuck since early September. About eight customer orders sit inside them, and one buyer has already asked for a refund, Folha reports. "When the items are already here in Brazil, I can recommend that clients ask for another carrier, but there is no option other than Correios to bring them into the country," she said. If an order is for something very specific, she risks being left with the item at home: "It ends up being a big loss."The rules of the game protect the buyer. Under Brazil's Consumer Defense Code, the online store is responsible for the delivery deadline even when Correios carries the package: the customer can demand delivery, accept a substitute product or cancel with a full refund. On shipments contracted directly with the postal company, a late delivery automatically returns part of the fare, from 5% to 15% on the PAC and Sedex services and 100% on Sedex 10, Sedex 12 and Sedex Hoje, as reported by O Povo.A company in the red, branches openThe strike lands on a company deep in the red. Correios has posted losses for 15 straight quarters, including R$ 5.6 billion in the first half of 2026, g1 reported, and awaits a R$ 7 billion loan from a group with Citibank, J.P. Morgan, Deutsche Bank and Banrisul after receiving R$ 12 billion at the end of last year. Branches remain open under a business continuity plan that shifts teams and routes, and a court ordered 80% of workers kept on duty, O Povo reported. The head of the Paraiba postal union, Tony Sergio, told g1 that in practice only internal administrative services were running during the stoppage.

Brazil's highest labor court has ordered the state postal company Correios to keep 80% of its staff working during a strike by its employees. The ruling came on Saturday (12), two days after the walkout began, and the court will hear the collective labor dispute on September 21. The order came from Vieira de Mello Filho, president of the Superior Labor Court, known as TST. He partially granted an urgent request by the company, which calls the strike abusive and had turned to the court to secure minimum staffing. In his view, the postal service is essential and the stoppage threatens the 2026 elections, with the campaign already underway. "The essential activity carried out by the claimant takes on greater weight given the commitments it has assumed with public and private entities tied to the 2026 election, whose campaign period is underway, which aggravates the strike's impact on society," the minister wrote. How the 80% rule works According to InfoMoney, the minimum covers service, mail processing, transport, distribution and administrative units indispensable to the postal chain. One detail tightens the rule: the 80% is measured unit by unit and, where applicable, shift by shift, with no offsetting between teams. A fully staffed branch cannot cover for one that stops. Why workers walked out Workers went on strike on Thursday (10), after talks on the 2025/2026 collective agreement broke down. According to Findect, the federation of postal and telecom workers, the hardest sticking point is the health plan covering employees, retirees and their families. The unions also oppose the company's restructuring plan, which would close branches and cut postal districts, and reject any attempt to blame workers for the company's financial crisis. Correios said in a statement that it activated a business continuity plan, moving administrative employees into operations, reassigning vehicles and running task forces to keep deliveries flowing. The branch network remains open to the public, according to the company. The financial scoreboard pressures both sides. Correios posted a 5.4 billion reais loss in the first half of the year and expects the release this week of a 7 billion reais bank loan backed by the National Treasury, InfoMoney reports. Until the court rules on the collective dispute, scheduled for September 21 at 1:30 pm, the sides can still reach a settlement.

A building under construction collapsed onto a house in the early hours of Saturday (12) on Rua Tequici, in the Penha district of eastern São Paulo, Brazil's largest city, killing two women, one of them pregnant. The fire department confirmed the two deaths, and six more people were still being searched for under the rubble, according to news site G1.The structure came down at around 2 a.m., after residents reported hearing a loud boom. Firefighters pulled a 7-year-old child and a man of about 30 from the debris with injuries, and both were taken to an emergency clinic in Tatuapé. By around 10 a.m., 59 firefighters and 21 vehicles were working the scene, state news agency Agência Brasil reported, and the civil defense authority sealed off a neighboring property.The permit and the court recordThe city government said it took the case to court in 2021 to demolish a structure it deemed irregular on the lot, after inspections by the Penha subprefecture, and won an injunction halting the works. The developer filed a new project in 2022 and received an execution permit in August 2023, on condition that the entire previous structure be demolished. An inspection in February 2024 reportedly confirmed the demolition, and the court case was closed. In other words, the building held a valid permit when it fell.São Paulo State Governor Tarcísio de Freitas said on Saturday that there are signs of irregularities in the building that collapsed, newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported. Speaking to the paper about the storms battering the state, the governor said:"Our objective now is to help people. We are sending humanitarian aid at this first moment and surveying the damage so we can plan a later phase, of recovery."Tarcísio cited 160 people displaced and 23 left homeless across the state, and said authorities remain on "maximum alert", with intermittent rain forecast through Monday (14).Cause under investigationThe civil defense authority said the cause of the collapse still has to be investigated, and that at this point it cannot be blamed solely on the overnight rains. The same storm soaked the city that night, with flooding that shut down the Tietê river expressway toward Castello Branco, according to G1.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has sold the broadcast rights to the Copa do Brasil, the country's premier knockout cup, to Globo, Amazon and ESPN. The four-season deal runs from 2027 to 2030 and is worth more than R$ 4 billion, according to the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo. The agreement was confirmed on Thursday (Sept. 10), and CBF president Samir Xaud called it a record for Brazilian football.What Globo getsAccording to ge, Globo's sports news outlet, the network's platforms will carry up to 88 matches per year across the Copa do Brasil and the Supercopa do Brasil, including 38 games from the final rounds, many of them exclusive. Free-to-air TV Globo keeps 14 match days per season, while sportv, Premiere and Ge TV broadcast from the first round and air highlights of every match. The package also covers the Supercopa do Brasil from 2028 to 2031, the season opener played between the Brasileirão champion and the previous year's cup winner.For viewers, the most visible change comes early in the bracket: because the pay-TV and streaming channels enter at the first phase, matches involving small clubs from distant states get broadcast, while free-to-air television concentrates on the decisive rounds.A direct deal, no middlemen"It is the biggest rights deal in the history of Brazilian football. We decided to negotiate directly with the biggest players in the market, without intermediaries. It was gratifying to see that everyone recognized this new moment the CBF is living," Xaud told ge.One detail remains open. ge reported that, beyond Globo's channels, the 2027 to 2030 editions of the cup will stream on Amazon and on one more platform the CBF has yet to announce. Folha de S.Paulo reported that the third platform is ESPN.On the network's side, sports rights director Fernando Manuel Pinto said the renewal "reaffirms our confidence in the strength of Brazilian football". Sports director Renato Ribeiro noted that the cup "connects every corner of the country", running through all five regions.Globo's current contract for the competition expires at the end of this season. The renewal keeps the country's biggest knockout tournament on the network through 2030.

Carlo Ancelotti named his first Brazil squad since the World Cup on Wednesday, opening the cycle toward the 2030 tournament with eight uncapped players among the 26 called up for friendlies against Australia and India. The list, released at 3 pm in Brasilia, delivers the renewal the Italian coach promised after Brazil fell in the round of 16 at this year's World Cup.The tour starts in Oceania. Brazil meet Australia on September 25 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville, then face the same opponent on the 29th at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The trip ends in India: on October 3, at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, the senior national teams of the two countries meet for the first time in history.The newcomersEight players could win their first senior caps: goalkeepers Pedro Morisco of Coritiba and Otávio of Cruzeiro; centre-backs Arthur Dias of Athletico Paranaense and Jair Cunha of Nottingham; full-backs Matheuzinho of Corinthians and Mauro Júnior of PSV; and midfielders Breno Bidon of Corinthians and Gabriel Bontempo of Santos.Nine men survived from the group eliminated in the round of 16: Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhães, Douglas Santos, Bruno Guimarães, Danilo, Raphinha, Rayan, Endrick and Vinícius Júnior. The attack adds Estêvão, João Pedro, Pedro and Samuel Lino, while Hugo Souza, Douglas Luiz, Andrey Santos, Wesley and Victor Reis complete the squad. According to Folha de S.Paulo, the average age dropped from 28.5 to 24 compared with the World Cup group, and ten of the 26 play in Brazil, with Corinthians the best-represented club at three call-ups.The tactical readNone of the eight newcomers is a forward. Ancelotti refreshed goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders, and kept the front line with Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha, Endrick and Rayan, the four attackers who went to the World Cup. In plain terms, the Italian sees defense and midfield as the construction sites of the new cycle, and the attack as the sector that needs the fewest repairs.Speaking after the announcement, Ancelotti stressed that this is a period of observation and that experienced players left out can still return. "We have to prioritize young players who will be the right age for the next World Cup or the next Copa America," he said."It is a balanced list, with players who were at the World Cup. It will be important for the next generation. We have young players with the quality to represent the future of the national team in the coming years. And we also have players who are playing very well in the Brazilian championship."

Four candidates in Brazil's presidential race promise to ban online betting sites, known locally as bets. None of them explains how the government would make up for the lost tax revenue, estimated at R$ 12.2 billion for 2025. The tally comes from a survey of campaign platforms by Folha de S.Paulo, published on Tuesday (8).According to the newspaper, another four candidates make no mention of the issue in their government programs. Two of them spoke outside the documents: one promised a ban in a statement to Folha, and the other defended higher taxes on the sector. Only one candidate promises to outlaw online casino advertising, while most repeat measures already in force.What the candidates promiseFormer Minas Gerais governor Romeu Zema (Novo) is the most direct: he said a ban on betting sites would be his "first act" in office. "We have a very serious problem in Brazil today, and it seems the authorities have turned a blind eye," he said at an event in São Paulo with women whose relatives were hurt by gambling. He compared gambling addiction to chemical dependency, "maybe even worse in some aspects." Renan Santos (Missão) also promises to shut down the bets, citing the social cost of addiction. The positions were reported by O Globo in August.President Lula (PT), who is running for reelection, told the podcasts Não Inviabilize and As Cunhãs: "If it depended on my personal will, we would end the bets." His team is studying restrictions with the Finance, Planning and Justice ministries, without giving details. Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) put in his program a ban on using federal social welfare money in bets. "Money meant to put food on the table cannot flow into the betting houses," the campaign document reads. The tactical detail: that rule has already been in force since October 2025 for recipients of the Bolsa Família welfare program and the BPC disability benefit. His running mate, Alfredo Gaspar (PL), admitted that Flávio "does not yet have a defined position on a total ban."The bill nobody has presentedOnline betting was legalized in 2018 under Michel Temer, limited to fixed-odds wagers. Regulation came at the end of 2023, and the regulated market opened in 2025, with 85 companies licensed after paying a R$ 30 million fee each. The law also made online casinos legal, including the so-called tigrinho slot games, on the same platforms as sports betting. Banning all of it erases a revenue line the Treasury already counts on, and no campaign program says where the replacement money would come from. Because gambling is authorized by federal law, O Globo notes, a ban depends on Congress and the president. Enforcement remains active: the Finance ministry tightened advertising rules, with risk warnings and a ban on "easy gain" pitches, and the betting regulator suspended websites tied to six companies in August for breaking the rules.Among voters, the issue carries less weight than the noise suggests. In a July poll by More in Common/Ipsos-Ipec, 58% said the bets issue would not change their vote, 24% favor candidates who support limiting betting, 12% said the opposite and 7% did not answer.

Brazilians who placed their first online bet after the country regulated the sector in January 2025 soon started falling behind on their bills. An unpublished study reported by Folha de S.Paulo found that in the 12 months after a first bet, the proportion of people in default became on average 20% higher among bettors than the rise in delinquency rates among those who do not bet. The research, which put a number on the damage caused by virtual games, also found worse access to credit for new gamblers.Credit cards show the damage most clearly. The fraction of the card bill left unpaid grew by an average of 38.7% in the first year of betting, after netting out the movement of the same indicator among non-bettors.The study was conducted by Sergio Firpo, a professor at Insper, a Sao Paulo business school, with researchers from Stone, a Brazilian banking and payments company that serves entrepreneurs and self-employed workers. The paper, "Online Betting and Financial Distress: Evidence from Brazil", has not yet been published in a scientific journal, and Folha is so far the only outlet to have reported its findings.How the score was measuredThe method is what makes the numbers stick. Records of deposits and payments from millions of clients let the economists identify who moved money via Pix, Brazil's instant payment system, to betting platforms, pin down the date of each first bet and track bettors against non-bettors. Patterns such as small recurring transfers to the same company registrations separated wagers from ordinary spending. The researchers watched the game through bank statements instead of relying on what gamblers might report.The sample covers people who started betting after January 2025, when online gambling was regulated in Brazil, from virtual casino games like the tigrinho to sports betting tips. The bill lands on two fronts: more trouble paying existing debts and worse access to credit.

Alison dos Santos won the 400m hurdles at the final Diamond League meeting of the season on Saturday, September 5, in Brussels, Belgium, sealing his third circuit title in the event. The Brazilian clocked 46.70 to add the 2026 trophy to his 2022 and 2024 crowns.American Trevor Bassitt took second in 48.03, with Brazilian Matheus Lima third in 48.18. According to ge, Globo's sports news site, the winning time smashed the Brussels meet record, which had stood since 1986.The 2026 campaign was total control. InfoMoney reports that Alison, known as "Piu", won all seven Diamond League stops he entered this year: Shanghai, Xiamen, Stockholm, Oslo, Silesia, Zurich and Brussels. The Diamond League is the top annual circuit in track and field.World record holder since AugustAlison, 26, from São Joaquim da Barra in São Paulo state, has held the world record since August 27. At the Zurich meeting in Switzerland he ran 45.80, breaking the 45.94 set by Norway's Karsten Warholm at the Tokyo Olympics, as Folha de S.Paulo reported.Warholm, his biggest rival this season, skipped the final. According to ge, the Norwegian failed to reach a financial agreement with the organizers. Until Saturday he had been the only three-time champion of the event in the circuit, with trophies in 2019, 2023 and 2025.For the casual fan, the scale of the performance shows in the finishing gap. The 400m hurdles is a race decided by hundredths, so winning by more than a second means controlling it from gun to tape while keeping a steady rhythm over the ten barriers. Alison's résumé also includes world championship gold in Eugene in 2022, Olympic bronze in Tokyo and Paris, and two Pan American titles.

Argentina has lost its greatest player. Lionel Messi announced his retirement from the national team on Monday (31), closing a run of 20 years, 207 matches and 125 goals. The decision came six weeks after the 1-0 loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final on July 19.Messi broke the news in a letter posted on his social media. According to Folha de S.Paulo, he wrote the text on July 21, two days after the final. "It was a decision that hurt and still hurts my soul, but I understand this is the moment," he wrote, adding: "I gave everything of myself. I have nothing left to offer."In the letter, Messi pointed to a new generation of "great kids" who deserve their chance with the team and thanked fans for two decades of support. He said he will miss hearing his countrymen from the pitch and promised to become "just another" supporter of the Albiceleste, as the Argentine squad is known, watching from outside the field. "It was crazy to live all of this with you," he wrote.The numbers of an eraAccording to ge, the sports outlet of Brazil's Globo group, Messi leaves the national team with 125 goals in 207 matches, 21 of them in World Cups. His trophy shelf holds one World Cup (2022), two Copa America titles (2021 and 2024), the Finalissima (2022), the intercontinental clash between the champions of South America and Europe, Olympic gold (2008) and an Under-20 World Cup (2005). At the 2026 World Cup, aged 39, he scored eight goals and set up four more.On the pitch, his exit forces Argentina to redesign its attack. Messi used to drop between the lines to receive facing goal and then choose between shooting or serving his teammates, playing striker and playmaker in one shirt. No player in the current squad combines both roles at that level, so the rebuild will likely be a collective one.Tributes arrive at onceThe first to speak out was Rodrigo De Paul, Messi's teammate at both Inter Miami and the national team."Just thank you, the greatest of all time. Thank you for making us so, so happy. You cannot imagine how many smiles you brought. You are eternal," De Paul wrote.Argentine newspaper Ole printed "Thank you Lionel Andres Messi. Thank you so much for everything" across its pages, while broadcaster TyC Sports called the farewell a global bombshell. Giuliano Simeone, who played the 2026 World Cup alongside the number 10, shared a video tracing Messi's journey with the national team.The announcement ended weeks of uncertainty. About three weeks earlier, in an emotional farewell letter to his father and agent Jorge Messi, who died in early August aged 68, the striker had already said he had "many doubts" about playing football for much longer. "I do not know what I will do without you. I do not know how to go on," he wrote at the time, according to Folha.

Ukraine said on Friday (28) that it hit a nuclear-capable Russian Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic bomber at its home base. If confirmed, it would be the 12th loss of the model in the war, equal to 20% of the fleet Vladimir Putin had before the 2022 invasion, Brazil's Folha de S.Paulo reported. President Volodymyr Zelensky made the claim and credited the Alpha unit of the SBU, Ukraine's security service, a team known for long-range drone operations. He did not say how the strike was carried out. Russia has not commented. So far the only public evidence is a large fire at the Engels-2 airfield, about 800 km (500 miles) from the Ukrainian border. A satellite photo of uncertain origin circulated online showing minor damage to the wing of a Tu-95 at the base, but the image does not match the smoke seen in video footage, according to Folha. The condition of the aircraft remains unconfirmed. The target explains the play. The Tu-95MS is a four-engine turboprop that launches cruise missiles from long range, without entering Ukrainian airspace. Catching the plane on the ground, parked at its base, takes out the launch platform before it fires, and that is how Kyiv tries to cut off the bombing raids at the source. Engels-2 is no ordinary target. The base hosts part of the Tu-95 fleet and all 14 of Russia's supersonic Tu-160s, its most modern bombers, along with vaults storing cruise missiles fitted with nuclear warheads. No damage to those facilities has been reported. The base has been attacked before in the war, but it escaped last year's Operation Spider Web, when Ukrainian drones smuggled in trucks hit at least eight Tu-95s at five other Russian bases. Zelensky also confirmed overnight strikes on the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in the Yaroslavl region and on targets in the Black Sea, Ukraine's state agency Ukrinform reported.

The opening whistle blew early on Friday (28): Brazil's Federal Revenue Service and the Federal Prosecutor's Office (MPF) launched Operation Shadow Play (Operação Jogo de Sombras) against the NSX group, owner of the BetNacional betting platform, serving six search and seizure warrants in Recife, João Pessoa and São Paulo. According to G1, investigators say the sports betting platform moved more than R$ 5 billion in 2025 alone (roughly US$ 960 million) and suspect tax evasion, illegal currency remittances and money laundering.No arrest warrants were issued. The operation is run by Gaeco, the MPF's organized crime unit, and involved 28 tax auditors, ten federal prosecutors, MPF police officers and forensic experts, according to Veja. In Recife, where the group is based, agents collected documents at the NSX office.The scheme under investigationAt the heart of the probe is a shell company set up in Curaçao, in the Caribbean. In the investigators' reading, the move worked like a feint: on paper, the betting operation ran abroad before Brazil regulated the sector; in practice, Brazilian companies tied to the group ran everything at home. For those new to this game, a shell company is a firm that exists only in documents, with no real activity, used to hide who is actually behind a business.The MPF and the Revenue Service are also looking into money sent abroad that allegedly returned to Brazil disguised as payments for services, a route that would justify the inflow of funds previously remitted out of the country. Another focus is the use of "pocket accounts", which pool funds from many clients in a single account held at fintechs and make the money harder to trace.The suspicions go beyond the start of regulation, in January 2025. The agencies are checking whether the group declared allegedly fictitious expenses to cut its tax bill even in the regulated market, and whether the money used to pay the license fee to operate in Brazil came from activities predating the authorization. The Revenue Service opened 11 tax procedures and estimates it can recover about R$ 300 million in taxes.The Prizes and Betting Secretariat of the Finance Ministry is weighing measures against the group, which already faces two administrative proceedings. Penalties range from a warning to suspension of activities. In a statement, NSX Brasil said it gave "full cooperation to the action", argued it followed the legal framework in force before regulation and made the required adjustments afterward.This is the second major joint operation by the Revenue Service and the MPF against betting companies, known in Brazil as "bets", in August. On the 13th, Operation Arena served 17 warrants in five states and obtained a court order to freeze assets worth up to R$ 1 billion.

Alison dos Santos is the new world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles. The Brazilian won the Zurich stop of the Diamond League on Thursday (27) in 45.80 seconds, taking down the 45.94 mark that Norway's Karsten Warholm had set at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, according to Folha de S.Paulo and AFP. Piu, as the 26-year-old from São Joaquim da Barra, in São Paulo state, is known, crossed the finish line at Letzigrund Stadium ahead of Warholm himself, who settled for second in 46.69. Nigeria's Ezekiel Nathaniel rounded out the podium in 47.50. The performance earned Alison a bonus of US$ 80,000 for breaking the record. The win grew out of patience. Warholm is famous for exploding out of the blocks and building a lead over the early hurdles, and Alison ran glued to him until the final bend. Only then, on the home straight, did the Brazilian accelerate at full throttle and pull away at once, with the crowd on its feet sensing the record. For casual fans: the 400m hurdles punishes anyone who goes out too fast, because the legs tie up over the last barriers; saving energy for the home straight is what settles duels between favorites. "I did it! I did it!", the athlete shouted as he saw the time on the board. Asked whether he believed he could break the record, he answered without hesitation: "I did believe it! As soon as I knew I was coming here, I got excited. The weather is good and the track is amazing." Alison is the first Brazilian to hold a world record in a track event in athletics. Before him, only Adhemar Ferreira da Silva, Nelson Prudêncio and João Carlos de Oliveira, known as João do Pulo, in the triple jump, and Ronaldo da Costa, in the marathon, had held world marks for the country. The record crowns the best stretch of the São Paulo native's career. According to InfoMoney, he has won all five head-to-head races against Warholm this season and already owns world championship gold from 2022, silver from 2025 and Olympic bronzes from 2021 and 2024. At 26, Piu is no longer chasing anyone's mark: the mark now belongs to him.

Vasco da Gama's SAF sale hit the crossbar. Anserf, the watchdog created by the CBF (Brazil's football confederation) earlier this year to enforce financial fair play, opened a procedure to assess a possible conflict of interest in the deal that would put businessman Marcos Lamacchia in control of the Rio de Janeiro club, according to Folha de S.Paulo.The hardest blow lands on the transfer market: the agency barred Vasco from any commercial ties with Palmeiras, including buying or selling players, and with Crefisa, the São Paulo club's sponsor. The reason is the family bond at the heart of the deal. Lamacchia is the stepson of Leila Pereira, Palmeiras' president, and the son of José Roberto Lamacchia, Crefisa's controlling shareholder.In practice, the freeze works like a market quarantine. Any fan can grasp the scale of the problem: unable to trade players with Palmeiras, Vasco loses one of the richest negotiating partners in Brazilian football, and any signing moving between the two clubs stays frozen until the review ends.A long line of buyers at the Cruz-MaltinoVasco's SAF, the corporate structure Brazilian clubs adopt to attract outside investors, was approved in 2022 and sold that same year to the 777 Partners group, which took 90% of the shares. The conglomerate fell behind on scheduled payments and was pushed out of the operation. Since then, club president Pedrinho, a former Vasco player, has searched for a new investor. Lamacchia is negotiating the 90% stake for a figure that could reach R$ 3 billion, in talks circulating since late last year, Folha reports.On Sunday (23), the businessman wore a Vasco shirt and posed next to Leila Pereira on the pitch at Palmeiras' stadium in São Paulo before the Brazilian league match between the two sides. The image sped up the criticism and, now, the regulator's response."The parties were notified to submit statements and comply with the required measures. Palmeiras, Almirante Participações e Empreendimentos S.A., Crefipar Participações e Empreendimentos S/A and Banco Crefisa S/A were notified as interested third parties, with the option to present their case," Anserf said in a statement.Almirante is the company set up to structure Lamacchia's purchase of the SAF. The case runs under seal, with access restricted to the parties and their legal representatives, and public disclosure is limited to the existence of the procedure itself, the agency said.

A car bomb killed a Russian military officer and injured his wife on Thursday (27) in the Pushkinsky district outside Saint Petersburg, dealing another blow to Russian domestic security. The attack extends a series of surgical strikes targeting Russian commanders far behind active front lines.According to local news outlet Fontanka, the officer served in Russia's air and air defense forces. State investigators confirmed the device detonated as the couple left their home, destroying the vehicle and sending the woman to the hospital in serious condition.Strikes behind the linesTactically, deep urban assassinations operate like a high press on defense: they force Moscow to pull security assets backward to protect its personnel, disrupting the chain of command before orders ever reach the front.Kyiv has claimed credit for several targeted assassinations during more than four years of war, though it maintains silence on specific operations. The highest-ranking casualty remains Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, killed in December 2024 outside his Moscow apartment building.Russian intelligence agencies face renewed scrutiny over persistent defensive lapses as high-value military targets remain vulnerable in major Russian cities.

New footage obtained by Brazilian broadcaster Fantástico and published by G1 shows the moments before the beating that killed Cláudio Rafael Landeiro, 37, in the Copacabana neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. In the videos, delivery workers Felipe Eduardo dos Santos Silva and Ailton José da Silva film Rafael sitting on the steps of a building and call him a 'thief' shortly before the beating began. According to the Rio Civil Police investigation, the two had been told a suspected bicycle thief was in the area.One of the delivery workers is heard on video saying, in Portuguese, that anyone caught stealing in the South Zone would be beaten, even killed. Moments later an unidentified man kicks Rafael. Security guard Davi Santos Machado arrives and begins hitting him with a piece of wood, while other bystanders also punch and kick him. Police say the beating lasted about nine minutes and that Rafael was struck 63 times with the club.What led up to the attackAccording to G1's reporting, on the night of August 11 Rafael left his home in the Botafogo neighborhood to ride a bicycle that belonged to his sister. Around 10:54 p.m. he stopped at a convenience store in Copacabana to ask for a single cigarette, then left after being told he would have to pay for it. Minutes later, at 11:21 p.m., security camera footage shows guard Davi talking to Rafael at the store entrance and asking three times whose bicycle it was. A store employee, who asked not to be identified, told reporters that was the entire exchange between the two men.The bicycle had been locked to a rack near water jugs. Davi photographed it and later told the employee he had found its owner. He then called a second guard, Jorge Luiz Ricardo Dias, who is seen on camera taking the bicycle while Rafael tries to stop him. Davi then appears with a club, attacks Rafael and chases him through the streets of Copacabana.Close to midnight, delivery workers who usually waited for orders on a nearby corner were told a suspected bike thief had been caught. 'They called and said a security guard had grabbed a thief there, you know?' one delivery worker told reporters. Felipe and Ailton headed to the spot Davi pointed them to and began following Rafael, who sat down on a building's staircase moments before he was filmed and attacked.Investigation and arrestsAfter the beating, Rafael lay on the ground for about 30 minutes before help arrived. 'He was in agony on the ground, trying to get up until the fire department arrived. He was taken to receive care, but unfortunately he died,' said police chief Ângelo Lages, who is leading the investigation. Four people have been arrested: guards Davi Santos Machado and Jorge Luiz Ricardo Dias and delivery workers Felipe Eduardo dos Santos Silva and Ailton José da Silva. The two guards and Felipe have confessed; Ailton stayed silent during police questioning.Civil Police said they are still reviewing security camera footage from the area to reconstruct the sequence of events and intend to identify other bystanders who witnessed the attack. 'Everyone who was there and witnessed this scene, we are going to identify them and we intend to hear them, because they could face charges for failing to provide assistance,' Lages said.

Brazilian tennis player João Fonseca announced on Monday (24) that he will not play the US Open, the season's final Grand Slam, which begins on Sunday (30) in New York. The 20-year-old from Rio de Janeiro, currently ranked 26th in the world, did not recover in time from an abdominal injury sustained last week at the Cincinnati Masters 1000.According to Folha de S.Paulo, Fonseca flew back to Rio on Wednesday (19) to treat the problem, but the timeline to the New York opener proved too short. Sports site ge reports that the Brazilian felt the abdominal pain during a practice session in Cincinnati, one day before a third-round match against Australia's Christopher O'Connell, and withdrew from that tournament. In his Cincinnati opener, he had beaten the Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp."After undergoing exams and starting treatment on my abdomen, it became clear to me and to my team that I need more time to recover 100% and be able to compete at a high level. So, unfortunately, I will not be able to play the US Open. It was not an easy decision, since it is a very special tournament for me," Fonseca wrote in a statement, in which he also thanked fans for their support and for birthday wishes; he turned 20 on Friday (21).US Open organizers had already announced on Monday that the Brazilian was out of the Stars of the Open, an exhibition event scheduled for Thursday, where he will be replaced by Italy's Flavio Cobolli. Missing the main draw ends a run of seven consecutive Grand Slams played by Fonseca since he turned professional, according to ge. Even without playing, he held on to 26th place in the ATP ranking, with 1,800 points, as the second-highest South American, 180 points behind Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo, the world No. 25. His career-best ranking is 24th.A season marked by injuriesPhysical problems have dogged Fonseca through 2026. Lower back pain delayed the start of his season and kept him out of the ATP 250 events in Brisbane and Adelaide, as well as Brazil's Davis Cup tie in February. In May, a right wrist issue ruled him out of the Hamburg ATP 500; in June, shoulder discomfort kept him from the Eastbourne ATP 250. At the Grand Slams, he fell in the Australian Open first round and reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals, with a win over Novak Djokovic, before losing to Czech Jakub Mensik. At the 2025 US Open, his main-draw debut in New York, he was eliminated in the second round by Czech Tomas Machac.Fonseca now targets a return for Brazil's Davis Cup tie against Switzerland in September, in Rio de Janeiro. The Davis Cup is the main national-team competition in men's tennis. His schedule after that includes the Tokyo ATP 500, the Shanghai Masters 1000, the Basel ATP 500 and the Paris Masters 1000. The US Open itself has now lost 18 players to withdrawals, per ge, including world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who is nursing a right knee injury, and Britain's Emma Raducanu, the 2021 champion in New York.

Nike launched on Saturday, March 21, the new home kit for Brazil's national team for the 2026 World Cup, reviving the tradition of the iconic yellow jersey in a piece that honors the history of Brazilian football. The presentation is part of the "Joy That Terrifies" campaign, featuring some of the top names in the squad called up by coach Carlo Ancelotti, including Vinícius Júnior, Estevão, Lucas Paquetá, and Richarlison. The new jersey's design returns to the "Canary" tone — Nike's registered name for the characteristic yellow of Brazil's shirts — reclaiming the visual identity that has become synonymous with Brazilian football worldwide. Unlike the blue away shirt presented earlier, the home kit features a cleaner aesthetic, displaying only the CBF and Nike emblems, without the Air Jordan logo that appears on the alternative model. Official sales of the new kit begin on Monday, March 23, at 9 AM, in official Nike stores, the CBF website, and partner retailers. High demand is expected in the first days, repeating the rapid sellout phenomenon that has marked previous national team jersey launches in World Cup years. The launch comes at a time of renewed enthusiasm around the Brazilian national team. Under Ancelotti's leadership, the squad secured early qualification for the World Cup and arrives at the competition as one of the title favorites. Brazil is in Group C alongside Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland, with the opening match set for June 13 against the Moroccans at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Before the World Cup, the national team will play preparation friendlies against France on March 26 at Gillette Stadium in Boston, and against Croatia on March 31 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. A final friendly against Panama is scheduled for May 31 at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, serving as a farewell to Brazilian fans before the delegation departs for the United States. The last preparation match will be against Egypt on June 6 in Cleveland. The "Joy That Terrifies" campaign references the playing style historically associated with the Brazilian national team — the combination of technical skill, creativity, and joy that has intimidated opponents over decades. The concept was developed in partnership between Nike and the CBF to reconnect the new generation of fans with Brazilian football's winning tradition while projecting a modern and competitive image for the 2026 cycle.

CONMEBOL held the 2026 Copa Libertadores group stage draw on Thursday, March 19, at its headquarters in Luque, Paraguay, defining the paths for six Brazilian clubs in South American football's premier continental competition. Flamengo, Corinthians, Palmeiras, Cruzeiro, Mirassol, and Fluminense learned their opponents in a draw that distributed high-level matchups across all groups. Flamengo, the reigning Libertadores champions, landed in Group A alongside Estudiantes from Argentina, Cusco from Peru, and Independiente Medellín from Colombia. The red-and-black team, seeking back-to-back titles, is the group favorite but will face long away trips and Peruvian altitude as logistical challenges. Flamengo's coach has already signaled the competition will be the absolute priority this season. Group D produced the most anticipated clash: Cruzeiro and Boca Juniors will face each other in the group stage, in a duel reminiscent of great South American finals of the past. Universidad Católica from Chile and Barcelona de Guayaquil from Ecuador complete the group. Cruzeiro, returning to the continental elite after years of absence, will face one of the opening phase's greatest challenges at La Bombonera. Palmeiras, runners-up in the previous edition, were placed in Group F with Cerro Porteño from Paraguay, Junior Barranquilla from Colombia, and Sporting Cristal from Peru. The green-and-white team is considered a title favorite thanks to their robust squad and accumulated experience in South American competitions under Abel Ferreira's leadership. Corinthians inherited Group E, where they will face Peñarol from Uruguay, Santa Fe from Colombia, and Platense from Argentina. The São Paulo club, going through a rebuilding phase after heavy investment in the last transfer window, sees the Libertadores as an opportunity to consolidate their new sporting project. Fluminense, in Group C, will face Bolívar from Bolivia, La Guaira from Venezuela, and Independiente Rivadavia from Argentina. The tricolor team, which won the Libertadores in 2023, seeks to repeat the feat with a renewed squad. Mirassol, making their competition debut, landed in Group G alongside LDU from Ecuador, Lanús from Argentina, and Always Ready from Bolivia — a challenging group for the club from São Paulo state's interior. The group stage begins on April 7, with matchdays running through May 28. The grand final is scheduled for November 28, 2026, at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay. The top two from each group advance to the round of 16, beginning the knockout phase that will determine the continental champion.

Brazil national team coach Carlo Ancelotti declared in an interview with CBF TV that Brazil will deliver a very high-level World Cup performance, expressing confidence in the squad's preparation with 100 days remaining before the start of the 2026 World Cup, to be held across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. "It is a joy to have time to prepare for this important event for Brazil. It is a great motivation and a great responsibility to try to do the best possible. I am sure we will have a World Cup at a very high level," the Italian manager stated. Ancelotti revealed he is in an advanced planning phase, both tactically and logistically. "We have been working on logistics, organization, the training center, the hotel, so now we have to evaluate the players who are playing, those who are injured, and those who are recovering," he explained, indicating the final squad list will still undergo adjustments in the coming weeks. The last call-up before the World Cup brought both surprises and concerns. Goalkeeper Alisson from Liverpool was dropped due to injury, and Hugo Souza from Corinthians was called up to fill the vacancy. The squad includes players from Europe's top leagues, such as Vinícius Júnior, Estevão, Lucas Paquetá, and Richarlison, who also participated in the launch campaign for the national team's new kit. March's preparatory friendlies will provide the final competitive tests for the squad. On March 26, Brazil will face France at Gillette Stadium in Boston at 5 PM Brasília time. The second match will be against Croatia on March 31 at 9 PM Brasília time at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. A third friendly is scheduled for June 6 against Egypt at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, in the final stretch of preparation. At the World Cup, Brazil is in Group C alongside Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland. The opening match will be on June 13 against Morocco at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey at 7 PM. The second game will be against Haiti at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia at 10 PM. The group stage concludes on June 24 against Scotland at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami at 7 PM. Expectations around the national team are high following a solid South American qualifying campaign, where Brazil secured qualification ahead of schedule. Ancelotti, who took charge after leaving Real Madrid, has brought a more pragmatic and organized tactical philosophy, moving away from the excessively offensive style that marked previous administrations. Brazilian fans hope that the combination of individual talent and tactical organization will result in a sixth world title, a championship the country has been pursuing since 2002.