Investors who propose transforming Portuguesa into a SAF (Sociedade Anônima do Futebol) made a presentation at the club’s headquarters on Wednesday night (6). In a meeting attended by directors and around a hundred fans, the planned action plan from 2025 to 2029 was displayed.
Present at Canindé were the president of Portuguesa, Antônio Carlos Castanheira, and the partners of Tauá Partners, a company in the financial sector that intends to take over SAF. Castanheira wants to put the project to a vote in the Deliberative Council soon.
According to the presentation, the model designed for Portuguesa foresees an investment of R$ 263 million in the football department, with the goal of returning Portuguesa to Series A of the Brazilian Championship and the semi-finals of the Campeonato Paulista by 2029. The team today It is in the first state division, but in the fourth national division, Series D.
Financing will be through XP Investimentos, and the majority of the contribution, R$144 million, will be allocated to professional football. According to Tauá Partners, the goal, until the club returns to the elite, is for the club to have the highest salary in the access divisions.
“Coming to Série A, I won’t promise that it will have the budget of Palmeiras and Flamengo, but we will have a competitive team”, said Alexandre Bourgeois, one of Tauá’s partners, who has already served as CEO in teams such as São Paulo and Figueirense.
The project foresees the allocation of R$50 million for the purchase of players, with a focus on promising athletes up to 23 years old, with the potential to stand out in the club and be negotiated at a profit for the SAF.
There is also R$44 million planned for grassroots football, R$18 million for the renovation of the CT (Training Center) and R$7 million for the assembly of a competitive women’s team to compete in the Brazilian Championship.
The investors also want to remodel the Canindé stadium, which, at a cost of approximately R$500 million, would become a multipurpose arena, along the lines of Palmeiras’ Allianz Parque. The capacity would be around 30 thousand spectators for games and 45 thousand to 50 thousand for shows.
The project envisages a garage building next to the arena, with 2,500 spaces, and a 16,000 square meter roof, for events such as weddings and graduation parties. If approved, the renovation will be carried out by the company Revee.
Under the SAF proposal, investors will assume Portuguesa’s debts. In an interview with Sheet at the end of March, the club’s president stated that the debts were around R$500 million.
“It’s a moment that could change the course of Portuguesa de Desportos, in my view, for the next hundred years”, said Castanheira, during the presentation at Canindé. “They are partners who are willing to lead Portuguesa into a new era, which is the era of professionalization, which we all want.”
According to the director, the SAF contract and statute are being analyzed by hired experts. “We hope that this work will be completed by Friday [8] and that we can be on this same stage approving Portuguesa’s SAF.”
Tauá’s partners demanded speed in approving the project, given the time needed to assemble the squad for the Campeonato Paulista, which is scheduled to start on January 15th.
According to Tauá’s partners, with SAF, Portuguesa will have strategic partnerships with clubs in Europe, the United States and South America, such as Benfica, from Portugal, and LDU, from Ecuador, for the facilitated transfer of players.
Under the agreed model, investors will have 80% of SAF, with the remaining 20% remaining with Portuguesa.
