“Yes. I’m a São Paulo fanatic; this is an affectionate memory from my childhood. Every Sunday I went to the stadium with my family, ate pepperoni, watched the fans’ party, my grandfather with a battery-powered radio? These are memories that money can’t buy. I have a young son and I would like to pass on to him the same moments, the same feelings. I would like to have celebrated the Libertadores victory with my family and friends in Lima.”
You highlighted your family relationship with São Paulo. Do you, as a businessman and fan, believe that the club has a solution within the association?
“The only way to make São Paulo a protagonist again is to be a club-company. How are you going to pay this debt? There is no point in selling base players and, at the same time, hiring to qualify the team. How are they going to resolve the financial issue? Isn’t it by sending a masseur or security guard away? São Paulo ends up selling very poorly because it is suffocated by debt and fees. In two years, with a debt of almost R$1 billion and the Selic rate at 15%, its real debt rises to 30%… you practically only wipe ice”.
When did the possibility of helping São Paulo start to arise in your head?
“I ended up having a lot of visibility with Ancelotti, so today it’s common for fans to stop me. This whole story starts with the São Paulo x LDU game, in the Copa Libertadores. I made a closed box for myself and my friends, and they approached me saying: ‘Wow, you helped the Seleção and you never helped your favorite team’. The story starts like this. First, I wanted to thank the São Paulo fans for all the love and messages I receive. I’m here as a São Paulo native who wants to help. What What I did was look for some people. I have a solid career in the financial market, I have a great network and I have been approached by many people who want to invest in Brazil. I made some contacts, and many of these people were interested in participating and helping.”
In this current process of convincing and gathering ideas, what do you intend to do to make your plan viable?
“First, I provided a survey to understand how much fans want a SAF and how much they understand the subject. It’s important to hear the fans’ opinion. We’re going to hold a panel debate in March, where I’m going to bring several experts to discuss SAF: extremely renowned lawyers, economists, invite all the advisors, invite the president of São Paulo and the president of the Council. The idea is to have a debate open to the public to discuss the best professionalization model for the club and how to structure an institutional future that will save the situation This is what I can do for now, as a São Paulo native who wants to see my team bring joy. We are ready to invest. We would like the Statute to be changed to allow for a company-based club, with governance and compliance – and I cannot, in good conscience, have investors injecting money into the current governance.”
