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| Brazil Champions of 2003 And Teams of the Year |
| Hello, everybody! With the Brazilian football season finally over, it's time for a recap of all the meaningful title winners of 2003: BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPION: Cruzeiro RUNNER UP: Santos RELEGATED TO THE 2ND DIVISION: Fortaleza, Bahia PROMOTED FROM THE 2ND DIVISION: Palmeiras, Botafogo Carioca *this was the first time ever that the Brazilian Championship was played in the traditional league system (everybody plays each other twice, no knock-out stage needed); it's also the first time the tournament lasted for nine months, instead of the usual five. This format was a relative success and will probably be kept for the coming seasons BRAZILIAN CUP CHAMPION: Cruzeiro RUNNER UP: Flamengo Cruzeiro is the first ever team to win de Brazilian double (Cup and Championship) LIBERTADORES CUP CHAMPION: Boca Juniors (Argentina) RUNNER UP: Santos SÃO PAULO STATE CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPION: Corinthians RUNNER UP: São Paulo FC RIO DE JANEIRO STATE CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPION: Vasco RUNNER UP: Fluminense MINAS GERAIS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPION: Cruzeiro RUNNER UP: Atlético Mineiro In fact, Cruzeiro this year clinched an unprecedented domestic treble (Championship, Cup and State Championship)! RIO GRANDE DO SUL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPION: Internacional RUNNER UP: 15 de Novembro BAHIA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPION: Vitória RUNNER UP: Catuense PARANÁ STATE CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPION: Coritiba RUNNER UP: Paranavaí SANTA CATARINA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPION: Figueirense RUNNER UP: Caxias QUALIFYED FOR THE 2004 LIBERTADORES CUP Cruzeiro, Santos, São Paulo FC, São Caetano, Coritiba All that said, let's see the top 5 teams of the year in Brazil: 1st) Cruzeiro 52 pts 2nd) Santos 40 pts 3rd) São Paulo 12 pts 4th) Coritiba 12 pts 5th) Flamengo 10 pts (points were awarded according to the importance of the titles mentioned above) |
| Tomaz R. Alves http://trivela.com |