By Rodrigo Viga Gaier
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Tuesday it would resume the Brazilian Championship in early June after being forced to suspend matches last week due to historic floods in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The teams in Brazil’s southernmost state were unable to play after heavy rains battered the area since late April, with the downpours killing more than 160 people. Nearly 100 residents are still missing and more than 500,000 have been displaced.
The matches of the three Rio Grande do Sul teams had already been suspended until May 27 due to the flood damage, including to stadiums, training centers and airports. The seventh and eighth rounds of the championship were postponed after that, with the CBF consulting the 20 clubs of the Brasileirao.
Now, the competition is set to resume on June 1, including the teams from Rio Grande do Sul.
Gremio will face off against Bragantino in Curitiba, in the state of Parana, as their Porto Alegre arena was damaged by the flooding. Internacional and Juventude are set to play away games in the seventh round.
In the eighth round, Internacional will play at Criciuma, outside of Porto Alegre, while Juventude will play in Caxias do Sul in its home state.
A meeting of the technical council of Brazil’s top division is set to be held next week to discuss the final details of the championship.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier in Rio de Janeiro; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Michael Perry)
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