Casares backs São Paulo’s professionalisation, stands by board: “I won’t give them up” | OneFootball

Julio Casares commented on the professionalization process he has been trying to implement at São Paulo since he took over as club president in 2021. Despite his intentions, the tricolor leader’s administration still includes board members holding important roles in football, such as Carlos Belmonte—something he apparently does not intend to give up.

Although Rui Costa serves as the club’s executive football director, a market professional, São Paulo’s hierarchy also includes football director Carlos Belmonte, who in practice ranks above the executive and is a board member working without pay.

“If the club has won three titles and reached five finals in five years, that’s merit. But I guarantee you that today the trend is for São Paulo to make 100% planned decisions. I am president, I will leave São Paulo, but I will continue my mission in the private sector. Tomorrow I might be part of the advisory board, but the one who should perform the role is the professional. I will not give up on a collaborator who has a history with the club,” said Julio Casares in an interview with NSports.

Last Monday, before the match against Ceará, São Paulo’s president, football director Carlos Belmonte, executive football director Rui Costa, and assistant directors Fernando Chapecó and Nelson Ferreira were the targets of protests from the club’s main supporters’ group, Torcida Independente. Casares, however, seems satisfied with the work done by the club’s top management.

“The institutional director is a facilitator, not someone who will interfere in an amateur way. At São Paulo, there isn’t a habit of thinking that when you win everything is right and when you lose everything is wrong. Everything is a sign. We are on the right path, but we really need the board of directors, which includes appointed board members, but also three independent members from the market: Ricardo Lacerda, a banker; Luiz Lara, a great marketing man; and our own Marcelo D’Arienzo, who comes from Grupo Península with a lot of management experience. These fresh minds, together with the institutional collaborators, help us a lot,” continued Julio Casares.

As for São Paulo’s future, the outlook is not so exciting. After winning titles in his first term, Julio Casares is now focusing on financial restructuring so the club can compete again with the main powers of Brazilian football. It’s a complex process that requires a lot of patience, especially from the fans, but it’s extremely necessary.

“The club was able to competitively reconnect with its fans by winning the Campeonato Paulista, the Copa do Brasil—which was the only title we hadn’t won yet—won the Supercopa, and reached two finals in 2022: Paulista and the Copa Sudamericana. This sporting legacy exists. Of course the fans want to keep winning, and so do we, but now our priority is two pillars: the equation of a financial organization so that it remains on a downward trend with contract and receivables guarantees, and a strategic action at the youth academy, which is the future of any football club,” concluded the São Paulo president.

To achieve this, the Tricolor is betting on the FIDC (credit rights investment fund) launched recently. Through it, investors can make contributions that become loans to the club at lower interest rates compared to traditional banks. In return, shareholders will receive a share of São Paulo’s revenues, such as player sales, broadcasting rights, and others.

The other strategy for São Paulo is a new fund, this time aimed at the youth categories, which aims to raise R$ 250 million. The Private Equity Investment Fund (FIP) will provide transfers to the Tricolor for debt payments and improvements in the athlete development process in Cotia.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.