Coritiba is negotiating the sale of its Football Anonymous Society (SAF) to the Treecorp Investimentosa Brazilian fund that has the former publicist and presenter Roberto Justus, aged 67, among investors. Justus has a small part in the business. As ascertained by Estadão, the company is still evaluating the transaction with the representatives of the club from Paraná and there is no deadline for the conclusion of the deal.
Headquartered on Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, the main business center in São Paulo, Treecorp has 11 companies in its varied business portfolio. Among them are Ademicon, Cabana Burguer, Zeedog and Zu Digital. The fund is estimated to have approx. BRL 2 billion under management and, now, welcomes the opportunity to take football to be part of its investments.
Ademicon has been a partner of Coritiba since 2021 in a digital consortium in which fans can join to contribute to the club. However, there is no connection with Treecorp’s current interest in acquiring SAF do Coritiba. Negotiations are intermediated by XP Investimentos, which also participated in attracting investors for the SAFs of Botafogo and Cruzeiro, commanded by Eagle Football of John Textor and Ronaldo Fenômeno, respectively.
In a balance sheet published last year, Coritiba declares a total debt of R$ 268 million. O Estadão found that the value does not scare Treecorp, which sees legal certainty in the SAF Law and assesses the club from Paraná as “internally organized”.
Roberto Justus commented on the possibility of Treecorp acquiring a Brazilian club in a recent interview with Flow Podcast. “It’s going to be very difficult for me to support another team. But my support will be to work as a business. It’s not in São Paulo, so I won’t compete directly in the regionals. I’m a football fanatic.”
However, it is worth noting that Roberto Justus has a smaller stake in Treecorp and does not hold the cards in the company. If the deal is concluded, the tendency is for a CEO to be hired to manage the SAF in Coritiba, taking away from the entrepreneur any possibility of interfering in decisions. Since November he has been treating bladder cancer.
The constitution of the SAF of Coritiba was approved by 95.47% of the shareholders, in the General Assembly held on December 23 of last year. Back in Serie A of the Brazilian Championship, the team has already spent more than R$ 20 million on signings. Among the most expensive signings are defensive midfielder Bruno Gomes (R$5 million), forwards Robson (R$2.2 million) and Rodrigo Pinho (R$2.7 million).
