(Reuters) – Not even the possibility of a first win of the campaign could tempt relegated Brazilian clubs Colo Colo and Jacobina to play their final Bahia Championship fixture this week.
With nothing to gain from the dead rubber match, Jacobina felt the 1,200km roundtrip from their coastal city home of Ilheus into the interior of northeastern state was not worth it.
Colo Colo could have avoided the ignominy of bottom place in the league by winning the match but agreed, and the Bahia Football Federation (FBF) acquiesced by cancelling Saturday’s fixture.
“As both teams have already been relegated to Serie B in 2026, and the cancellation of the match does not cause any harm to the other participants in the competition, the FBF accepted the requests,” the federation said in a statement.
Both teams had three points apiece from three draws but Colo Colo will now finish the season bottom of the league courtesy of a goal difference of minus 15 compared to Jacobina’s minus 12.
The Bahia Championship, also known as the Baianao, is the second-oldest state championship in Brazil and has been played continuously since 1905.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina and Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.