the team. However, it was during this period that the club set two Brazilian football records: The largest number of unbeaten games in national football (52 games) and the longest unbeaten streak in Brazilian Championship matches (42 games). Despite these achievements, the club finished the Championship in 5th position in 1977 and 9th place in the 1978 edition. In 1979, Botafogo played only seven games and finished in 53rd position, its worst rank in the history of the competition. In 1981, the club once again had a good campaign. With players such as Paulo Sérgio, Mendonça, and Marcelo Oliveira in the team, Botafogo reached the semi-final of the Brazilian Championship, against São Paulo. In the first match, at the Maracanã stadium, the team won 1–0. In the return match, at the Morumbi, there was much confusion: Botafogo's managers and players accused the São Paulo team of coercing the referee at half-time, when the black-and-whites were leading 2–1. The game took 35 minutes to restart and, in the return, São Paulo managed to turn the score, eliminating the Rio de Janeiro club. In addition, the match was marked by several controversial moves and a penalty poorly scored by referee Bráulio Zannoto in favor of the hosts. In the 1986 Brazilian Championship, more confusion: The regulations provided for a reduction in the number of clubs from 48 to 28 teams the following year. Since Botafogo finished the competition in 31st place, they should not have qualified for the 1987 Brazilian Championship. However, a legal imbroglio involving Vasco da Gama, Joinville, and Portuguesa caused the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) to change the regulations of the 1986 Championship during the competition, allowing more teams to advance to the second round. The case caused a crisis in Brazilian football and opened the way for the creation of the Clube dos 13 ("Club of the 13"). Since CBF had already declared it could not afford to organize the 1987 Brazilian Championship, the newly created Clube dos 13 promoted the União Cup, with the participation of the founding clubs (among them Botafogo) and three other invited teams: Coritiba, Santa Cruz, and Goiás. Later, with the commercial success of the new competition, CBF went back and created its own Brazilian Championship, with the clubs "excluded" by the União Cup. In the year of 1988, Botafogo remained in the Brazilian Championship, along with all the teams in the União