Copa União (Union Cup) was the official name given by the Clube dos 13 (Club Of The 13) organization to the Green Module of the 1987 Campeonato Brasileiro de Futebol.
This tournament was called Copa União and was run by the 16 clubs that eventually took part in it (Santa Cruz, Coritiba and Goiás were invited to join), completely free from CBF authority (a move not unlike the creation of club-administered leagues in Europe).
However, that new set of rules was never recognized by the Club of the 13[4] and largely ignored by most of the Brazilian media, who concentrated their attention in the independent league, eventually won by Flamengo.
Clube dos 13 signed sponsoring contracts with Coca-Cola and Rede Globo, which guaranteed the clubs would be paid unprecedented rates for TV broadcasts.
Having barely qualified for the semifinals, Flamengo went on to eliminate favorite Atlético Mineiro with two historic wins, 1–0 at the Estádio do Maracanã and 3–2 at the Mineirão.
In the final round, the Rio de Janeiro side became the champions after a 1–1 draw in Porto Alegre and a 1–0 victory at the Maracanã over Internacional.
Consistent with the Clube dos 13 decision, both Flamengo and Internacional refused to face Sport Recife and Guarani—who had agreed to share the Yellow Module title—in the final play-off CBF had convened.
Clube dos 13 and the National Sports Council (CND), the entity legally in charge of settling the dispute at the time, before the 1988 Constitution, considered Flamengo to be the 1987 Brazilian Champions.