The 1996 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A was the 40th edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. It ran from August 8 to December 15, 1996. It was contested by 24 teams and divided into two stages. In the first one, every team played against each other once. After 23 rounds, the top eight clubs qualified for the next stage, and the bottom two were supposed to be relegated, but CBF decided to keep Fluminense and Bragantino in Série A after the season was over. This decision followed a leak of recorded telephone conversation transcripts broadcast in TV Globo, suggesting that, during the 1996 season, Atlético-PR general manager Mario Celso Petraglia and Corinthians general manager Alberto Dualib had conversations with Brazilian football officials to influence referee appointments. The scandal resulted in mild individual punishments only.
The final stage was played in elimination system with home-and-away matches. The club with better record during the first stage had the advantage to qualify in case of a draw. In the end, Grêmio won their second championship in history based on this rule. They were defeated by runners-up Portuguesa 2–0 at Morumbi Stadium, but came back in the second leg, winning by the same score at their home ground, Olímpico Stadium in Porto Alegre.
Standings and results
First stage
Final stage
Grêmio won based on their better record during first stage.
Top scorers
#PlayerTeamGoals1 Paulo NunesGrêmio16 RenaldoAtlético Mineiro3 TúlioBotafogo13 Paulo RinkAtlético Paranaense5 DjalminhaPalmeiras12 AíltonGuarani7 OséasAtlético Paranaense11 MüllerSão Paulo MabiliaCriciúma Leandro MachadoInternacional Rodrigo FabriPortuguesa
References