Let’s talk about the role of a counselor at a football club. In the statute, the role is clear and noble: it represents the partners, supervises management, analyzes accounts, budgets and important administrative decisions. The counselors deliberate on serious issues, such as reforms to the statute, granting honorary titles, changes to internal regulations and investigations of irregularities.
In many cases, they elect or approve names for key board positions and participate in electoral processes. They also decide on strategic issues, such as the club’s transformation into a SAF (Sociedade Anônima do Futebol). In short: on paper, they are the guardians of the club. This description varies little from one statute to another. But reality, unfortunately, does not always follow the beautiful text.
Today, the scenario at clubs like São Paulo and Corinthians is bleak. For years, management has been accumulating messes, scandals and bad results on and off the field. Then the inevitable question arises: what about the advisors in these clubs? What have they been doing? It’s hard to believe that hundreds of people — many of them experienced, with access to privileged information — are just naive. It’s hard to accept that they don’t see the evidence, that they don’t have concrete data or that they approve of repeated mistakes with almost artistic conviction. How is it possible to ignore clear signs of poor management for so long? It is impossible to imagine that they fall into “traps” by accident, year after year. Then comes the most uncomfortable question: why do they approve certain decisions?
- Out of idolatry of the president or the current board?
- Out of blindness to one’s own responsibility?
- Because you think the chaos won’t affect you personally?
- By genuinely trusting the “beauty” of managers’ promises?
- Or, perhaps, for the comfort of block voting, even though today anonymity no longer exists — all votes are known to the public.
After all, advisor is not just an honorary position. It is a function of supervision and protection of collective heritage. When this function systematically fails, the entire club pays the bill. The question remains for members and fans: until when will it be accepted that guardians, on paper, continue to sleep on point, in practice? Until next time.
*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jovem Pan.
