Conmebol director warns Brazilian dominance may grow as SAFs accelerate multi-club networks | OneFootball

Conmebol legal director and deputy secretary general Montserrat Jiménez warned that Brazilian clubs’ dominance could widen as SAFs speed up the rise of multi-club networks, adding she does not like all-Brazilian finals.

According to Globo.com, she was speaking at Fifa’s Football Law Annual Review in Budapest. In the last eight Libertadores finals, only 2018 did not feature Brazilian clubs, and five were all-Brazilian, including Flamengo against Palmeiras. Brazilian teams have won every final since 2019, and 11 of the last 15 champions are from Brazil.

Jiménez relayed Marcos Motta’s view that by 2029 only one Série A club will not be a SAF, arguing Brazilian sides will enter MCOs, multi-club networks, at full speed. She said an existing economic gap with the rest of South America could therefore become much larger, even if she would prefer a different path.

She accepted SAFs are likely to stay, citing rising industry costs that TV and sponsorships do not cover. But she warned of oversight challenges around external funding, including potential flows of drug trafficking money, which raise legal and source-of-funds concerns.

Jiménez said there is much work ahead, questioned whether others risk being left behind, and feared MCOs, particularly those funded from outside football, could undermine academies because development is rarely profitable. She noted fewer than 1% reach senior level and only a handful are sold.

The Libertadores and Sudamericana group-stage draws are on 19 March in Asunción. This year’s Libertadores final is in Montevideo, and the Sudamericana showpiece is in Barranquilla.

Source: Globo.com