There is a moment in the trajectory of any CEO in sport when the role stops being just about management, strategy and results. This is when leadership is faced with one of the toughest decisions in the profession: not renewing the contract and terminating someone who was — and still is — loved within the team.
In futsal and high-performance sports, time is relentless. The physical demand grows each season, the intensity of the game increases, the margin for error decreases. There comes a point where the body no longer responds as it used to, even though the mind, experience and love for the sport remain intact. And that is precisely where the greatest cruelty in sport lies.
While in many professions the age of 40 represents maturity, intellectual peak and stability, in sport this age usually symbolizes the end of the competitive journey. An early closure, compared to the traditional market, and emotionally difficult to be assimilated by those who dedicated their entire lives to training, games, victories, defeats and personal sacrifices.
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The decision becomes even more complex when this athlete has built a long history within the club. Years of wearing the same shirt create something that goes far beyond the professional relationship. Bonds of friendship emerge, coexistence between families, children growing up together, stories shared off the court. At these times, the decision doesn’t just seem administrative — it almost sounds like ripping out a part of ourselves.
It is at this point that the CEO is put to the test. Leadership requires coldness, but not inhuman coldness. It requires acting with reason, without allowing the heart to speak louder, but also without turning people into numbers or performance statistics. It’s not simple. It never is.
The most common mistake is postponing the decision due to emotional attachment. And this, although understandable, is usually harmful for everyone: for the club, which needs to evolve; for the group, which feels the weight of the unresolved transition; and, mainly, for the athlete himself, who ends up exposed to demands and frustrations that could have been avoided.
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The most responsible way out is not to deny the end, but to prepare for it. When handled well, termination does not need to be traumatic. On the contrary: it can become a rite of passage into a new stage of life.
It is up to the leader to prepare this moment in the lightest and most dignified way possible. Frank conversations, respect for the history built, public recognition of the contribution and, above all, concrete help so that the professional can see a new journey ahead. Whether in the coaching staff, management, athlete training, entrepreneurship or any other path that makes sense.
The CEO’s role does not end when signing a termination agreement. It extends to the responsibility of paving the future for those who helped build the present. When this happens, sport stops being just cruel and starts being fair. Harsh, yes — but human.
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Because, at the end of the day, performance provides good results, but people build legacies. And the way we treat those who dedicated their lives to the club says much more about our leadership than any title raised.
Thus, we close another great year. I want to thank each and every one of you who took the time to follow my texts, it was great to share a little of our daily lives and it was an honor to start this journey with InfoMoney. Thank you very much, Merry Christmas to everyone and a 2026 full of health, peace, love and success!!!
