Having adhered to the model of the SAFs (PAIZING SOCIETY) in July 2023 in search of the professionalization of management and the sanitation of their accounts, Atlético Mineiro coexists, two years later, with delays in paying players and the need for new millionaire contributions from investors.
The club’s situation is far from new in Brazilian football, but lights a warning signal for the SAF model, with other Serie A clubs of the Brazilian Championship that became a corporations also living with financial difficulties and the growing accumulation of debt.
On Tuesday afternoon (22), striker Ron, who arrived at Atletico earlier this year coming from Palmeiras, even asked for the unilateral termination of his contract with the club on the grounds of delays in FGTS (Service Time Guarantee Fund), gloves and image rights.
The team said in a note that CLT salaries are up to date, “only with a portion of background rights in two days.”
Other cast players, such as Gustavo Scarpa, Guilherme Arana and Igor Gomes, also notified the club extrajudicially in recent days for delays in salary payments, although they have not appealed to the judiciary.
“We have almost six years of history with the club, built with affection, respect and a huge identification. So we would never take any extreme attitude without first trying, in all possible ways, resolve the situation with balance, dialogue and mutual respect,” wrote Guilherme Arana in publication on social networks, in which he appears holding a rooster, symbol of Atlético.
Still Tuesday night, Ron eventually retreated and removed the termination request after being convinced that payments would be regularized.
Principal SAF investor of the club, Rubens Menin went to social networks to say that all pending issues with the group will be resolved.
“Atletico has responsibilities, and honor. It has commitments, and fulfills them. And it has a long term project being built with hard work, transparency and collective spirit,” wrote the businessman, who also owns the construction company MRV and Inter, with an estimated fortune by Forbes by about $ 1.8 billion ($ 10 billion).
Sought, the club said there was no additional comments to do right now.
A board meeting with the squad is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, before the collision of Colombia’s Bucaramanga, by the South American Cup, on Thursday night (24) at the MRV Arena.
According to Cesar Grafietti, an economist and partner of the consultancy summoned, even after a major capital contribution in the creation of SAF, of R $ 913 million, the club continued with spending above ideal, with many investments in hiring players leading to an increase in debts.
Data from the 2024 balance show that the club’s indebtedness reached about R $ 1.4 billion in December, an increase of almost 20% compared to the previous year, with R $ 218 million in spending on hiring players for the season and a payroll of almost R $ 300 million, against gross revenue of R $ 674 million.
Grafietti added that Atletico has become SAF, but without changing modus operandi, bringing expensive athletes with salaries incompatible with the club’s reality. “Debts have been consuming revenues because of high interest rates, and revenues have never grown to the necessary extent.”
The economist also pointed out that, without an urgent contribution of resources, the situation will continue unsustainable, with the club being forced to go to the market in search of investors interested in landing capital in the operation.
“Atlético’s situation is a warning for all clubs. Debts need to be controlled and compatible with payment capacity, because if not, they will strangle management at some point.”
Grafietti considered that SAF itself is not so much difference at the end of the day, if management does not really think of the club as a business.
He cites the very delicate situation in which Vasco is also. The Rio club joined the SAF model in September 2022, but faced a series of non -compliance with the agreement and charges with investor 777 partners, until the break between the parties in May 2024.
With debts around R $ 1.2 billion, Vasco filed a request for judicial recovery at the end of February in an attempt to get some financial breath and also follows the market in search of a new investor.
“The search for a new investor for Vasco Saf is already underway, with all the care and responsibility that the moment requires. The episode of 777 Partners leaves a lesson that cannot be ignored,” wrote Pedrinho, club president, in a financial report published in early July.
“Professionalizing football does not mean to blindly control the club to groups without solid history, guarantees or transparency. This reinforces the need to adopt a rigorous assessment process to investigate the solidity and suitability of a potential partner before the signing of any agreement,” said the former midfielder.
Grafietti also stated that Cruzeiro’s SAF also “lights up a warning”, with the club’s debt under the new management of Pedro Lourenço reaching R $ 1.3 billion at the end of 2024, an increase of 45% over 2023.
The Minas Gerais club ended last year with a loss of around R $ 170 million, having disbursed nearly R $ 200 million in hiring reinforcements in the transfer window.
