Corinthians keeps 340 advisers with five tickets per match, club responds | OneFootball

The distribution of tickets has been identified as one of the obstacles faced by Corinthians fans when trying to get seats for matches at Neo Química Arena. Part of the tickets is reserved for members of the club’s administrative structure, such as board members, directors, and advisors, who are allowed to pass those tickets on to other people.

According to information published by Gazeta Esportiva, each board member receives one free ticket. In addition, they have access to four more tickets with discounts ranging from 20% to 30%. These tickets can be freely transferred, including to people who are not part of Fiel Torcedor, Corinthians’ membership program.

Photo: Júlio César Costa/Ag.Paulistão

Directors also have access to tickets, but in this case there is no previously determined maximum number. Among members of Parque São Jorge, each member can request up to three tickets, which can likewise be assigned to third parties. Demand usually reaches approximately 400 member requests per match played by Corinthians at its stadium.

Advisors follow a rule similar to that of board members. According to data obtained by the report, Corinthians currently has 340 appointed advisors and 300 board members. Considering only these two groups, the number of reserved tickets reaches 3,200 per match.

The concentration of these tickets in sections intended for the club’s internal structure becomes even more significant when it is noted that the tickets given to board members, directors, and advisors correspond to the West Stand of Neo Química Arena, an area that includes some of the most expensive seats in the stadium.

These staff members serve in advisory roles alongside the different Corinthians departments. According to information available on the club’s official website, Timão currently has nine departments, although there are other areas not listed on the page, including the women’s football, administrative, and commercial departments.

Given the number of advisors and the club’s formal structure, Gazeta Esportiva asked Corinthians about the need to keep so many people in this role. The outlet considered the number of advisors noteworthy given the number of departments officially presented by the club. In response, Corinthians explained:

“Even though the club has 15 departments, some of them have subdivisions. One example is the Land Sports department, which covers more than 50 disciplines. The same happens in aquatic sports and in other departmental divisions and units. It is worth noting that the number of advisors is in line with the average of previous administrations.”

Impact on revenue

Another point raised by the report involves the tickets allocated to board members, directors, and advisors. The tickets correspond to the West Stand of Neo Química Arena, an area that includes some of the highest-priced seats in the stadium.

The way these tickets are distributed internally, according to the report, may contribute to ticket scalping and also affect the club’s revenue in certain matches. One example cited is the derby against Santos, when Corinthians recorded revenue of R$ 3.2 million with 47,099 paying fans.

The figure stands out when compared with the match against Athletico-PR, held in September of last year. On that occasion, Timão brought in R$ 3.5 million despite a smaller crowd of approximately 41,000 people, including away fans.

Gazeta Esportiva also sought clarification about the distribution of tickets among members of Corinthians’ internal structure. The club again stated that it adopts measures to combat the irregular sale of tickets.

“As President Osmar Stabile has already said, tickets will now be charged for,” Corinthians told Gazeta Esportiva.

Next, the club explained its position on the possibility that tickets granted to advisors could contribute to ticket scalping.

“The club does not believe that advisors act in bad faith, facilitating ticket scalping with these tickets. This courtesy is a return for the work done by these people without pay. Corinthians works tirelessly and continuously against ticket scalping,” it added.

Board member has three daughters linked to the club

Among the names appearing on the list of advisors is Willian Sesso. He holds a seat on Corinthians’ Lifetime Council and is also identified as a “presidential advisor.”

The Sesso family’s connection to different sectors of the club is not limited to Willian. Iris Sesso, one of his daughters, currently serves as director of women’s football. The other two, Roseli Sesso and Magali Sesso, work as advisors to the beach volleyball department within Land Sports.

The situation involving Willian also raised another question. Under Corinthians’ bylaws, a board member who starts serving as an advisor, even without receiving a salary, should request a leave of absence from the Council. According to the report, that did not happen in his case.

Gazeta Esportiva contacted Corinthians to clarify the situation. The club, however, denied that Willian Sesso serves as presidential advisor. The report says it consulted a list of advisors to the current administration updated last Wednesday, a document that had received the addition of two new names and listed Willian in that role.

Corinthians also commented on the roles of the board member’s three daughters and defended their qualifications and the work they do within the institution.

“Willian Sesso is a lifetime board member, but he is not a presidential advisor. Iris Sesso is a qualified professional responsible for the club’s women’s football. She continued a standard of excellence already established previously and, since taking over the department, the women’s team has won two Brazilian Championships and two Conmebol Libertadores titles, in addition to finishing as runners-up in the Club World Cup. Sesso’s other two daughters are volleyball advisors (without pay), a discipline that is growing at the club under a model of financial self-sufficiency, considering the work of securing significant sponsorships for the category,” the club replied.

The Gazeta Esportiva report also tried to hear from Willian Sesso regarding the questions raised. However, by the time of publication, he had not spoken on the matter.

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