The 2000 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (officially the Copa João Havelange) was the 44th edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top-level of professional football in Brazil. Due to legal complications, the championship was organized by Clube dos 13 instead of CBF, and was contested by 116 teams divided in modules, equivalent to their division—similar to the 1987 Copa União. It started on July 29 and ended on January 18, 2001, with Vasco da Gama winning the championship—its fourth title. The name of the championship was an homage to former CBF and FIFA president João Havelange.

Background The formula of relegation of the 1999 Brasileirão was based on the average points between 1998 and 1999. But due to a decision of the Supreme Court of Sporting Justice (STJD) of removing points from São Paulo, who played against Botafogo and Internacional with an irregular player, Brasília team SE Gama was going to dispute Série B instead of Botafogo. Gama refused the relegation and, supported by the Distrito Federal Football Coaches Trade Union and political party PFL, sued CBF requesting a return to Série A. By June 2000, the trial was not solved, and CBF could not release the 2000 Brasileirão rules.

A deal with Clube dos 13 allowed it to organize a championship, which CBF would later ratify. To avoid further legal problems, the championship would encompass all divisions. The module equivalent to the top division would have the 18 teams which escaped relegation in 1999, the two teams promoted by 1999 Série B, and five teams which would contest Série B in 2000 (Série C champion Fluminense, Clube dos 13 member Bahia, Juventude, América-MG and Gama, who removed the lawsuit against CBF and was allowed by FIFA to participate).

Controversies

The end of competition was marked by disaster, when a crowd crush during the second leg of the final at São Januário stadium caused a fence to collapse, injuring more than 150 fans and forcing the game to be abandoned and later rescheduled.

First stage

Group Blue

Group Yellow

Group Green and White

Knockout stage

Qualified teams

Bracket

Round of sixteen

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

Final standings PosClubFinal result (National - Group ranked)Qualification1Vasco da GamaChampion - Group Blue 8th placeCopa Libertadores 20012São CaetanoRunner-up - Group Yellow Runner-up3CruzeiroSemi-finalist - Group Blue 1st placeCopa Libertadores 200114GrêmioSemi-finalist - Group Blue 10th placeSérie A5ParanáQuarter-finalist - Group Yellow Winner6PalmeirasQuarter-finalist - Group Blue 11th placeCopa Libertadores 200127InternacionalQuarter-finalist - Group Blue 9th placeSérie A8SportQuarter-finalist - Group Blue 2nd place9Ponte PretaEighth-finalist - Group Blue 7th place10FluminenseEighth-finalist - Group Blue 3rd place11BahiaEighth-finalist - Group Blue 12th place12São PauloEighth-finalist - Group Blue 6th place13Atlético ParanaenseEighth-finalist - Group Blue 8th place14GoiásEighth-finalist - Group Blue 4th place15MalutromEighth-finalist - Group Yellow Third-placeSérie B16RemoEighth-finalist - Group Green & White Winner17GuaraniGroup Blue 13th placeSérie A18SantosGroup Blue 14th place19FlamengoGroup Blue 15th place20BotafogoGroup Blue 16th place21PortuguesaGroup Blue 17th place22VitóriaGroup Blue 18th place23América MineiroGroup Blue 19th place24Atlético MineiroGroup Blue 20th place25JuventudeGroup Blue 21st place26GamaGroup Blue 22nd place27CoritibaGroup Blue 23rd place28CorinthiansGroup Blue 24th place29Santa CruzGroup Blue 25th place30PaysanduGroup Yellow Fourth-placeSérie B31CaxiasGroup Yellow Quarter-finalist32NáuticoGroup Yellow Quarter-finalist33FortalezaGroup Yellow Quarter-finalist34BanguGroup Yellow Quarter-finalist35FigueirenseGroup Yellow Eighth-finalistSérie B36Botafogo-SPGroup Yellow Eighth-finalistSérie A337AvaíGroup Yellow Eighth-finalistSérie B38São Raimundo (AM)Group Yellow Eighth-finalist39CriciúmaGroup Yellow Eighth-finalist40Sampaio CorrêaGroup Yellow Eighth-finalist41CRBGroup Yellow Eighth-finalist42AnapolinaGroup Yellow Eighth-finalist43SerraGroup Yellow 9th place44ABCGroup Yellow 10th place45RiverGroup Yellow 11th place46JoinvilleGroup Yellow 9th placeSérie B47América-RNGroup Yellow 12th place48CearáGroup Yellow 13th place49América-RJGroup Yellow 10th place50CSAGroup Yellow 14th place51AmericanoGroup Yellow 11th placeSérie B52União São JoãoGroup Yellow 12th place53Nacional-AMGroup Yellow 15th place54XV de PiracicabaGroup Yellow 13th place55Marcílio DiasGroup Yellow 14th place56BragantinoGroup Yellow 15th placeSérie B57DesportivaGroup Yellow 16th place58Brasil de PelotasGroup Yellow 16th place59Villa Nova-MGGroup Yellow 17th place60Vila Nova-GOGroup Yellow 17th placeSérie B61LondrinaGroup Yellow 18th place62BandeiranteGroup Yellow 18th place63UberlândiaGroup Green & White Runner-up64Etti JundiaíGroup Green & White Third-round 3rd place65Tuna LusoGroup Green & White Third-round 2nd place66Juazeiro-CEGroup Green & White Third-round 2nd place67OlímpiaGroup Green & White Third-round 3rd place68CentralGroup Green & White Third-round 4th place69Moto ClubGroup Green & White Third-round 4th place70Corinthians-ALGroup Green Second-round 3rd place71Rio Branco-PRGroup White Second-round 3rd place72Rio Branco-SPGroup White Second-round 2nd place73Flamengo-PIGroup Green Second-round 3rd place74Ypiranga-APGroup Green Second-round 3rd place75JuventusGroup White Second-round 3rd place76TocantinópolisGroup Green Second-round 2nd place77Portuguesa SantistaGroup White Second-round 2nd place78ConfiançaGroup Green Second-round 4th place79Operário (MS)Group Green Second-round 2nd place80FriburguenseGroup White Second-round 3rd place81MatonenseGroup White Second-round 4th place82Dom Pedro IIGroup Green Second-round 4th place83Atlético-GOGroup Green Second-round 4th place84União BandeiranteGroup White Second-round 4th place85Santo AndréGroup White Second-round 4th place86Rio Branco-ACGroup Green First-round 87BaréGroup Green First-round 88Botafogo-PBGroup Green First-round 89SergipeGroup Green First-round 90Rio NegroGroup Green First-round 91PortoGroup Green First-round 92TrezeGroup Green First-round 93São CristóvãoGroup White First-round 94Mogi MirimGroup White First-round 95ASAGroup Green First-round 96MadureiraGroup White First-round 97Nacional-SPGroup White First-round 98Internacional-SPGroup White First-round 99GoiâniaGroup Green First-round 100IpatingaGroup White First-round 101CamaçariGroup Green First-round 102ItuanoGroup White First-round 103Comercial-MSGroup Green First-round 103OlariaGroup White First-round 105BrasíliaGroup Green First-round 106UniãoGroup White First-round 107Comercial-SPGroup White First-round 108Volta RedondaGroup White First-round 109União BarbarenseGroup White First-round 110Inter de Santa MariaGroup White First-round 111GenusGroup Green First-round 112PotiguarGroup Green First-round 113CampinenseGroup Green First-round 114São José-SPGroup White First-round 115InterportoNot played115Rio Branco-ESNot played

Team ranked by round advanced. For teams that advanced to the same round, combined result separate the tie.

All teams qualified to Copa Libertadores also qualified to Serie A

1 As Copa do Brasil winner2As Copa dos Campeões winner3As a member of Série A 1999

References

Goal and attendances are Blue Module and knockout stages only. Blue Module only. Biggest overall: Jundiaí 7-0 Moto Clube and Jundiaí 7-0 Matonense, both for Green Module. Brazil - List of final tables (RSSSF)