SC Football Debt: Club’s Judicial Recovery Claim

Almost five months after a first attempt that did not work, Metropolitano, from Blumenau, filed this Friday (19) a new request for judicial recovery in search of the club’s financial restructuring. The case is being processed at the Regional Bankruptcy, Judicial and Extrajudicial Recovery Court of Jaraguá do Sul.

The column found that Metrô’s debt subject to judicial recovery, if the claim is granted, is R$8.5 million. Of this amount, around R$3.8 million refers to labor debts. With the imminent recess of the Judiciary, it is likely that the Court’s analysis of the request will be delayed until 2026.

Provided by law, judicial recovery allows applicants to gain financial leverage to clean up their house. Some of the benefits may include temporary suspension, for up to 180 days, of labor actions and executionsin addition to seizures and blocking of ticket prices, measures that have strangled the Metro’s cash flow in recent times.

Internally, the atmosphere is one of optimism, which has already been conveyed to the fans. In an official note, Metropolitano treated the request for judicial recovery as the “first step towards the future”. In a post on social media, the club said it was a gradual restructuring process with respect for the team’s history and legacy.

“With the judicial recovery, Metropolitano intends to centralize all executions, which will allow the club’s financial reorganization and short, medium and long-term planning in a transparent, professional and ethical manner. This movement has the objective of maintaining not only sporting activities, but also gradually honoring the commitments made with creditors, athletes and employees”, cites the note.

The document presented to the Court mentions a history of the financial difficulties faced by Metrô, with debts owed to service providers and labor, tax and fiscal debts.

The Covid-19 pandemic, which forced matches to be held behind closed doors in 2020 and 2021 and reduced private investment in football, and the absence of a stadium in Blumenau to host games in recent years – Sesi only returned in 2025 – are cited as some of the factors that worsened the situation. This caused a reduction in revenue from ticketing, food, drinks, product sales and prospecting for fan members.

Even with the difficulties, Metrô continued to take the field, with behind-the-scenes support from fans who took money out of their pockets to help the club pay expenses. THE average audience during Series B of this year’s Santa Catarina Championship, higher than that of eight clubs competing in the second national division, is highlighted as an asset in the recovery perspective, due to the club’s potential to generate revenue.

The Metropolitan filed for judicial recovery in Julybut there were problems with the documentation and the process ended up being terminated. The club is not the first in Santa Catarina to claim protection from the courts. Avaí, Joinville, Chapecoense and Juventus also resorted to the same method. In Brazil, major teams and national champions, such as Cruzeiro, Vasco and Coritiba, have already used the same law to seek restructuring.