The 1952 Copa Rio was the second and last edition of the Copa Rio, the first intercontinental club football tournament with teams from Europe and South America, held in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo from 12 July to 2 August. The competition was organized by CBD and Fluminense, and it carries this name because it was sponsored by the Rio de Janeiro City Hall. Participant clubs were divided into two zones of four teams, playing each other once in a single round-robin tournament.[1][2]
History
The second edition of the Copa Rio was supposed to be contested in 1953, according to the stipulated plan when the competition was created in 1951, indicating it would be a biennial event. However, it was advanced to 1952 at the request of Fluminense, which wanted to organize the event as part of the celebrations for its fiftieth anniversary. The club took on the organization of the tournament with authorization and support from the CBD and financial support from the Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro.[2]
Peñarol withdrew from the competition in the semifinals after the first leg against Corinthians Paulista. Dissatisfied with the refereeing in the tumultuous and violent match against Corinthians Paulista (in which even the German referee and a newspaper photographer were assaulted, the latter hospitalized with a leg fracture, according to O Estado de S. Paulo on July 25, 1952), and claiming that their bus was stoned by an 'excited crowd' of Corinthians supporters 'the powerless police couldn't contain' after the game, the Uruguayans requested the rescheduling of the return match to Rio de Janeiro (originally scheduled for Pacaembu Stadium in São Paulo) as a condition to stay in the competition. Corinthians did not agree to the change in the location of the game, leading the Uruguayans to abandon the competition.[3]
Fluminense considers the Copa Rio its greatest title ever won by the club and is striving for the competition to be recognized as the FIFA Club World Cup. In 2021, the club submitted a dossier to FIFA through CONMEBOL, requesting the official recognition of the title. On that occasion, the document had the support of the CBF and then-president Rogério Caboclo.[4]
