El Maracanazo

For the 1950 football match referred to as Maracanazo, see Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup).

Brazil v Chile (1989)

The Maracanã Stadium, venue of the match
Event	1990 FIFA World Cup qualification – South American zone – Group 3
Brazil Chile 2 0
Match abandoned in the 67th minute with Brazil leading 1–0 FIFA awarded Brazil a 2–0 victory Chile were banned from qualifying for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
Date	3 September 1989
Venue	Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro
Referee	Juan Carlos Loustau (Argentina)

The Maracanazo of the Chilean team (Spanish: Maracanazo de la selección chilena), also known as the Condorazo or Bengalazo, was a scandal that occurred during a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Brazil and Chile at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on 3 September 1989. Chilean goalkeeper Roberto Rojas feigned injury after a flare thrown by a Brazilian supporter landed near him, prompting the Chilean team to abandon the match in protest.

Photographic evidence quickly revealed that the flare had not struck Rojas, and he later confessed to having cut himself with a razor blade concealed in one of his gloves in order to simulate an attack. FIFA awarded Brazil a 2–0 victory and imposed severe penalties on Chile: the team was barred from qualifying for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and Rojas received a lifetime ban from football, effectively ending his career. Several Chilean officials and staff members were also sanctioned.

The incident is widely regarded as one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the sport, and the word condoro — derived from Rojas' nickname El Cóndor — subsequently entered Chilean slang as a term for a grave, self-inflicted blunder.

Background

Main article: 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL) § Group 3

For the 1990 FIFA World Cup, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) received 3.5 berths (including Argentina, who already qualified as title holders). The other teams were grouped into three groups. The two group winners from Groups 1 to 3 with the best records qualified directly for the World Cup, while the lowest-ranked group winner had to play an intercontinental play-off against the winner of the Oceania qualifying. Chile, Venezuela, and Brazil were assigned to Group 3.

The fixture was arranged through a draw held at the Hotel Plaza in Buenos Aires. There were allegations that Sergio Stoppel, then president of the Chilean Football Association (ANFP), had manipulated the draw arrangement to Chile's disadvantage for the sum of US$100,000 — ensuring that the final match would be Chile traveling to Brazil.

Previous encounter

Tensions between the two sides ran high before the decisive match. In June 1989, Chile had been eliminated in the first round of the 1989 Copa América, held in Brazil. Chilean coach Orlando Aravena had been publicly provocative, declaring that "without Pelé, Brazil is nothing," and that Brazil would fall "like Maguila" — a reference to Brazilian boxer Adilson "Maguila" Rodrigues, who had just been knocked out by Evander Holyfield. Brazilian player Romário shot back, saying he would "shut Aravena's mouth," to which the Chilean coach replied, "I want to see him against Astengo."

In the qualifiers, Chile beat Venezuela 3–1 in Caracas, then hosted Brazil at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago on 13 August 1989 before a crowd of 60,976. The match was ill-tempered, ending with the expulsions of Romário, Chilean player Raúl Ormeño, and Aravena himself. Brazil scored first through an own goal by Hugo González, but Chile equalized when Taffarel naively handed the ball to Jorge Aravena following a referee's call, and Aravena quickly played it to Ivo Basay, who scored. The final score was 1–1. After the match, the Brazilian bench clashed with Chilean police, while spectators threw stones and bottles. As a result of crowd trouble at that match, FIFA banned Chile from playing the following home fixture — the return match against Venezuela — in Santiago, so it was played instead in Mendoza, Argentina.

Chile beat Venezuela 5–0 in Mendoza. With both teams having played each other, Chile and Brazil led Group 3 with 5 points each, but Brazil held the advantage in goal difference. This meant Chile needed to beat Brazil to have any chance of qualifying of at least a continental playoff spot while both teams must win to qualify directly. If the game ends in a draw, Brazil earned at least a playoff spot, and depending on other results from Groups 1-2, which do not conclude until September 24, 1989, they could qualify directly as one of two best group winners.

Group 3 standings (before final match)

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Brazil	4	3	1	0	11	1	+10	7
Chile	4	2	1	1	9	2	+7	5
Venezuela	4	0	0	4	1	18	−17	0

The match

Of the 157,900 tickets available for the match at the Maracanã, 131,156 were sold. Despite the volatile atmosphere generated by the Chilean press in the days leading up to the match, the atmosphere at the stadium was initially calm. The Chilean coaching staff operated under unusual circumstances: Aravena was serving a suspension from his red card in the first leg, and watched the game from a television booth inside the stadium, reportedly relaying instructions to his assistant via a walkie-talkie provided by Chilean broadcaster Milton Millas.

After a goalless first half — during which Rojas produced several important saves — Careca scored for Brazil in the 49th minute of the second half, a result that put Chile on course for elimination. Ten minutes later, at the 67th minute, a flare was thrown from the Brazilian supporters' section and exploded two to three meters from Rojas, who collapsed to the ground bleeding. Chilean players rushed toward Rojas and found the goalkeeper with blood on his face and jersey.

Immediately, Chilean players and officials, led by co-captain Fernando Astengo, left the pitch in protest, while Argentine referee Juan Carlos Loustau unsuccessfully tried to convince them to continue with the game. While Rojas was being treated, Patricio Yáñez made an obscene gesture to the Brazilian fans by grabbing his genitals. This gesture later became known in Chile as the Pato Yáñez.

Argentine photojournalist Ricardo Alfieri, present at the match, immediately noted that the flare had not struck Rojas. Chilean journalist Nicanor Molinare of Radio Cooperativa insulted Alfieri for saying so. After the match, Alfieri handed his film roll from that night to the Brazilian Football Confederation.

The Chilean players and coaching staff remained in the dressing rooms for nearly three hours presenting their account of events to FIFA commissioners. Meanwhile, Chilean football federation president Sergio Stoppel communicated the decision to withdraw from the field to FIFA commissioners Agustín Domínguez and Eduardo Roca. In the dressing room, Rojas received three sutures for his wound.

Match details

3 September 1989

19:30

Brazil	2–0 (w/o)	Chile
Careca 59'

Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro

Attendance: 131,156

Referee: Juan Carlos Loustau (Argentina)

Brazil

Chile

GK 1 Cláudio Taffarel CB 3 Aldair CB 6 Ricardo Gomes (c) CB 4 Mauro Galvão  41' RM 2 Jorginho CM 8 Dunga CM 10 Silas LM 5 Branco AM 11 Valdo CF 9 Careca CF 7 Bebeto Manager: Sebastião Lazaroni

GK 1 Roberto Rojas (c) RB 18 Patricio Reyes  63' CB 11 Fernando Astengo CB 5 Hugo González LB 2 Alejandro Hisis  65' DM 6 Jaime Pizarro CM 4 Héctor Puebla  6' CM 8 Jaime Vera RF 14 Patricio Yáñez  42' CF 7 Juan Letelier LF 10 Jorge Aravena Substitutions: FW 9 Ivo Basay  63' Manager: Orlando Aravena

Assistant referees: Carlos Espósito Francisco Lamolina

Aftermath

Immediate reaction in Chile

The Chilean team returned to Santiago in the early hours of the following morning and were received as heroes by approximately 10,000 people at Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport. The Chilean media had reported the version of events provided by Rojas and Stoppel, and public sentiment was initially overwhelmingly sympathetic. Sports magazines, especially Minuto 90, suggested a conspiracy by FIFA president João Havelange to secure Brazil's World Cup qualification. The newspaper La Tercera ran the headline "Savage Brazilians" on its sports front page on 4 September. Around 3,500 people gathered outside the Brazilian embassy in Santiago, breaking 44 windows and damaging the offices of Brazilian airline Varig. An American basketball player named Willie Whittemberg, who happened to be passing by, was mistaken for a Brazilian and assaulted by the crowd. The Brazilian ambassador subsequently visited La Moneda to request government protection for the embassy.

Investigation and penalties

The next day, television images and several photographs — including those taken by Alfieri, which he delivered to CONMEBOL officials — revealed that the flare thrown by Brazilian fans had not hit Rojas, but had landed just over a meter away. With that evidence, CONMEBOL managers discredited Rojas' account of an "attack" by Brazilian fans, casting doubt on the origin of his injury, which showed no signs of burning or gunpowder traces but appeared to have been caused by a blade. Brazilian police had meanwhile identified and arrested the fan who threw the flare onto the pitch: a 24-year-old named Rosenery Mello do Nascimento, later known as Fogueteira do Maracanã (Firecracker of Maracanã). She later posed for Playboy and died in 2011.

On 10 September 1989, FIFA ruled that the game would be deemed a walkover victory for Brazil, with an official score of 2–0, and passed the case to its disciplinary committee. As the investigation progressed, it became clear to CONMEBOL that Rojas' injury had not been caused by an object thrown from the stands. After questioning, Rojas confessed to having cut himself with a razor blade hidden in one of his gloves to simulate an attack by Brazilian fans, and that Chilean coach Orlando Aravena had instructed Rojas and team doctor Daniel Rodríguez to remain on the pitch in order to provoke a scandal, with the aim of either nullifying the result and forcing a third match on neutral soil, or disqualifying Brazil from the competition in Chile's favor.

On 12 September, Rojas held a press conference at the Hotel Sheraton Santiago alongside Carlos Caszely and broadcaster Nicanor Molinare, declaring his total innocence. Rojas was subsequently summoned to appear before FIFA in Zürich but did not attend, citing medical advice. On 25 October, FIFA announced its preliminary sanctions, including a lifetime ban from international football and a three-month ban from domestic competition for Rojas.

Ten days after the game, FIFA decided that Rojas should be banned "in perpetuity" from professional football (the ban was lifted in 2001, after which Rojas served briefly as interim goalkeeper coach of São Paulo in late 2003) and that Chile would be barred from the qualifying rounds for the 1994 FIFA World Cup (the ban relating to the team's abandonment of the match, not Rojas' simulation). In addition, FIFA sanctioned Sergio Stoppel (president of the Football Federation of Chile), Orlando Aravena (team coach), Fernando Astengo (team captain and co-captain), team physiotherapist Alejandro Koch, kit man Nelson Maldonado, and Daniel Rodríguez (team doctor), among others, for their roles in the incident.

Confession

In May 1990, after rumors surfaced that Rojas was to be hired by São Paulo as a goalkeeper coach, Aravena, Astengo, and Maldonado held a radio discussion on Radio Nacional de Chile — later broadcast — calling publicly on Rojas to tell the truth. On 24 May 1990, after meeting with his lawyer, Rojas broke down emotionally and privately confessed for the first time to having inflicted the wound on himself. He then gathered his family at home to tell them the truth. On 26 May 1990, Rojas gave a paid interview to the newspaper La Tercera — reportedly receiving CLP$6 million after violating a brief exclusivity arrangement — in which he publicly confessed:

I cut myself with a Gillette and the sham was discovered. It was a cut to my dignity. I had problems at home with my wife, my teammates turned their backs on me... but if I had been Argentine, Uruguayan or Brazilian I would not have been suspended, but because I am Chilean I was not given the chance to redeem myself.

Later revelations

In 2013, Astengo stated that more individuals were involved in the incident, including some players, though he declined to name them. He also noted that he and Rojas had a poor relationship dating back to their time together at Colo-Colo in 1986. In March 2024, following the death of Orlando Aravena, Astengo stated publicly that Aravena bore no responsibility for the incident, calling the whole affair the idea of "a psychopath who appeared in Don Orlando's life and derailed his career, as well as my own." Rojas responded by acknowledging that Aravena had no responsibility, adding: "Each person has the conscience of what they did in that moment. Some of us assumed it, others didn't."

Legacy

The Maracanazo is widely regarded as the greatest scandal in the history of Chilean sport. The word condoro — derived from Rojas' nickname El Cóndor — entered Chilean slang as a term for a grave, self-inflicted blunder and is now recognized as a Chileanism in the dictionary of the Real Academia Española (RAE).

In May 2025, during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, a Chilean-Swiss coproduction titled Simulacro was announced, to be directed by Juan Ignacio Sabatini and starring Benjamín Vicuña as Chilean journalist Luis Urrutia O'Nell, who investigated the scandal. Rojas stated publicly that he had not authorized the film and objected to its production.

See also

• Copa Teixeira

External links

• Information about the incident in the Chilean Press Museum (in Spanish)
• EPA – Veinte años después, el 'Maracanazo' de Rojas aún está vivo en Chile (in Spanish)
• A 25 años del 'Maracanazo': Testigos de la gran mentira Archived 2014-09-03 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
• FIFA lifts ban on Chilean goalkeeper