Legal alert: ex-players seek pause in Vasco SAF sale | OneFootball

The sale process of Vasco SAF has run into an unexpected obstacle in the halls of the 4th Business Court of the Capital of Rio de Janeiro. A group of eight labor creditors of Vasco, made up of seven athletes and one member of the coaching staff with stints at São Januário, filed a formal objection to the format designed for the transfer of the football department to Nova SAF, requesting an emergency suspension of the proceedings for up to 30 days.

The list of creditors includes professionals who played for the Cruz-Maltino club in different eras and are seeking old unpaid amounts from past administrations. Among the athletes signing the action are forward William Barbio, center-back Breno, defenders Luiz Gustavo, Douglas Silva and Lucas Kal, as well as defensive midfielders Willian Maranhão and Lucas Siqueira, along with fitness coach Flávio de Oliveira.

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What are the former Vasco players challenging in court?

Contrary to what it may seem at first, the professionals made it clear in the petition that they are not against the entry of new investment. The group’s main question revolves around where the sale money will go: they point out that the offer presented provides for the entire amount to be injected solely into football, without setting aside any financial flow to pay down past debts, which would violate the rules approved in the judicial reorganization.

In the view of the lawyers representing the athletes, stripping the debtor structure and transferring players, contracts and revenues to the so-called Nova SAF will leave the previous management without its main source of revenue. In simple terms, the fear is that a clean and competitive company will be created, while the old structure is left without ticketing and sponsorship income to pay labor debts.

Transparency demanded and the request for a suspension

Another serious warning raised by the group involves the absence of technical documents to analyze the transfer of assets, the lack of independent valuations, and the need to prove the impact of the transaction on future payments. The creditors also demand that the future investor pay for the purchase strictly in cash, through a court deposit, preventing any attempt to offset old claims in exchange for shares.

Based on these points, the eight creditors requested an injunction to freeze the decision-making phase of the sale of the new company for 30 days or until a new General Meeting of Creditors is called. The board led by president Pedrinho and Vasco’s legal team are preparing the necessary clarifications to show the court that the plan complies with the law and will not harm former employees.

Breno is one of the names that went to court against the sale of Vasco SAF – Photo: Carlos Gregório Jr/Vasco

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